More Than Attraction
by whitetyger123
Summary: Antonio says he met his love's eyes over the bin of tomatoes. Lovino says he was stalked relentlessly until he was forced to give in. Written with Verboten Byacholate, side story to Root of Attraction.
1. Chapter 1

Antonio was humming to himself as he walked through the grocery store. He had tossed a few treats for the dogs we was working with into his basket, like he always did. He couldn't give them very many, just when they did something good, but he still liked to get them treats of a higher quality than the ones the school provided. And onto the next aisle to claim his guilty pleasure, the one thing he would always buy copious amounts of every trip he made to the grocery store: tomatoes. The Spaniard turned the corner for the produce aisle, eyes searching for the red fruit. There was someone else looking at them, and for whatever reason, he struck Antonio as familiar.

The brunet lifted his head, a ripe tomato in hand, and Antonio remembered where he had seen him before. He had come with his brother just last week to get a seeing eye dog. The brothers (of whom he confessed to have thought to be twins at first glance) were a stunning, adorable pair of siblings, which had instantly struck Antonio's fancy.

He sauntered over, going for nonchalance as he picked up a tomato. "It's the perfect season for them, isn't it? Just look at them."

The younger man blinked up at him in a surprise that lasted all of two seconds before his brow drew taut and his expression became harried. "Fortunately, yes," he mumbled, picking up one plump fruit for himself, prodding it with curious fingers to test its ripeness. "It's been a long time coming, but they're finally back in their best season. It's about fucking time, too."

Antonio slapped a hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture. "Another person who missed them as much as I do! I'm terribly sorry, I recognize you from the school, but what was your name?"

"Who? What school?" The shorter man (of, if he was not mistaken, some Romantic descent, judging by the fetching olive tone of his skin) frowned deeply before his expression relaxed marginally when, apparently, his confusion was assuaged. "Oh... oh! You're that annoyingly cheerful guy."

"That's no way to talk to the potential love of your life," Antonio said, laughing a little. His flirting came naturally, as it always did, and at least seventy percent of the time, it got him what he wanted. It would be a delight to bed this cute man, and it just so happened that his schedule was empty for the night. To his great surprise, however, what he received from the (tentatively labeled) Italian was not so much a blush, or even a flirty little scoff, but rather total and complete disgust. He reached quickly for a few more tomatoes and piled them high in his basket before shuffling quickly away, not even gracing Antonio with a backwards glance, which was a reaction he wasn't used to. Antonio quickly followed after him. The young man halted when he noticed Antonio striding alongside him. "At least tell me your name! I suppose it would be easy for me to look it up in the records, but I would much rather hear it from you."

Wide eyes, a brown so light and vibrant that Antonio could almost label it gold, narrowed on him furiously. He leaned in closer and hissed, "Do you know how seriously creepy this is? Back the fuck off. Now."

Raising an eyebrow, Antonio held up his hands and stepped away. "Alright, I surrender. I suppose in my mind, I will just have to call you Cutie."

A visible shudder ran through the youth's body, and Antonio had the nagging suspicion that it wasn't from pleasure. "Just. Lovino," he said, his lips curled in some potent mixture of agitation and disgust. When Antonio took another step back, he seemed to relax marginally, though his gaze was still sharp. "What the fuck? Do you assault everyone you meet? Damn."

Antonio grinned brightly and tilted his head. "Only the really cute ones. See you later... Lovino." He made sure to say his name with a slightly deeper voice, dragging the last O out so it rolled off his tongue. He was glad that his parents had insisted teaching him Spanish so that he could say it with the right accent.

And, walking away, he glanced over his shoulder to sneak a peak at the seduced, if confused expression that was sure to be on Lovino's face.

For what must have been the hundredth time in the past five minutes, he was surprised. There was no expression on Lovino's face at all, as far as he could see. The Italian had turned his back to Antonio completely.

.oOo.

Antonio was just finishing his lunch when he walked past Ludwig's lesson. He first saw the blind brother, walking along with the black dog, and then he saw Lovino sitting in a chair by the wall, watching them. So this was his chance, then. He walked over and smiled at him. "Lovino! This must be fate for us to meet again."

A split second of surprise and then that familiar distaste as Lovino rolled his eyes over Antonio's form. He would normally take it as a compliment to be so obviously checked out, but Lovino's expression was not so much appreciative as it was scrutinizing. The attractive youth was sizing him up. "Can't tell if you're seriously this corny, or if you're just trying too hard," he explained dryly before turning his eyes back to the shorter brunette down the hall, walking with Ludwig.

"It is called being romantic, and it is much better than your approach to flirting, which seems to be simple rudeness." Without asking, Antonio sat down in the chair next to him, deciding that no one would notice if he was a few minutes late coming back from lunch. The dogs certainly wouldn't care.

Lovino snorted, though his shoulders tensed, almost as though he was bristling from the comment. Like a cat. "It's not romantic if it's one-sided. That's just creepy. What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

He lifted his bag in one hand. "Lunch. And are you sure it is one-sided? I notice that you didn't protest that I said you were flirting."

"I was subtly refusing to dignify it with a response," Lovino grumbled, folding a pair of sun-loved arms over his chest. He frowned when the German down the hall snapped something at his brother. Antonio saw it as well, and leaned on the arm rest nearest Lovino. The Italian moved away from him.

"You don't have to worry about Ludwig. He comes off as mean, but that's just how he is. He's really a good guy. A very good dog trainer."

"He just seems like an uptight asshole to me," Lovino said in that growly voice of his. "Doesn't know shit about customer service. If someone pays for your services, you greet them with a fucking smile and a good attitude. Doesn't matter if my brother's blind; he can still tell whether or not someone's smiling at him. Bastard."

"Ah, but you misunderstand. You aren't paying for our service, you are paying for the dog, and we teach him how to use that dog. You pay for College, but does that mean the teachers have to be nice to you?" Of course, Antonio was always nice to the clients anyways, he didn't like people to dislike him. Which was why it was so strange that Lovino acted like this. The Spaniard dug in his lunch bag and pulled out a tomato. "I was going to save this for my last break, but you can have it if you want."

Lovino glanced over at him and then at the tomato, and for the first time, Antonio could see that he was enticed. He couldn't help but grin. However, that only seemed to fuel Lovino's suspicious little fire. The young man frowned at him. "What did you do to it?" he asked.

"I soaked it in love potion," Antonio said and laughed. "It's just a tomato, I swear! I bought it from the same grocery store where we last met." His eyes were drawn to Lovino's lips as he bit the bottom one. It was soft and red and full, Antonio couldn't help but notice. Damn, this guy had to know what he was doing. How could this be anything else but flirting?

After glancing back at his brother for just a moment, Lovino graced Antonio with his attention once more and scowled. "Well... I guess you might be too dumb to really try anything," he mumbled, taking the fruit from Antonio's hand and inspecting it warily. "You look it, anyway."

Antonio pouted a bit at that. "Aw, that isn't very nice. I give you one of my precious tomatoes and you call me stupid?" But he was quick to go back to smiling as Lovino bit into the tomato, juice dripping down his chin. The Spaniard reached out, swiping it up with his finger, and licked it off. He brightened immediately. For the first time, a healthy red flush spread over Lovino's cheeks. He cursed under his breath and stood, retreating down the hall toward Ludwig and his cute little brother, shouting all the while and scurrying quickly away from Antonio.

But the Spaniard could not help but notice that, despite his words and actions, the tomato was still firmly planted in Lovino's palm.

.oOo.

After that, Antonio made sure to check Ludwig's schedule for when Feliciano had an appointment, but the next few times, Lovino didn't come with him. The brunet was getting frustrated, as this was now a matter of pride. If it was just that Lovino said he was straight, or just wasn't attracted to him, he could live with that. But he was fairly sure that Lovino found him attractive (because, who wouldn't, really?), so then, what was it?

Finally, the following week, Lovino showed up at the school. Antonio looked at his watch and found that he had about half an hour until his next appointment. Perfect.

The persistent Spaniard sidled up to Lovino in the hall as the young man browsed the soda machine. With a deep, harried sigh, Lovino let the machine eat his money and selected a bottle of water, bending over to retrieve it when it came clunking down to the bottom of the machine. "Can I help you?"

"In fact, you can. I seem to be in need of a dinner partner tonight, and it has to be a man between 20- and 25-years-old with brown hair and a cute butt. You wouldn't happen to know anyone by that description, would you?" He would have been more specific with the age, but he figured that Lovino would be one of those people that looks younger than they actually are.

"Nope," Lovino said casually, unscrewing the lid and taking a deep gulp of water. He cleared his throat as the bottle drew away and let his hands fall to his sides. "I don't make a lot of friends. And none that I have fit that description. Ask someone else."

Antonio sighed, looking to the side. "That's too bad. I was really hoping you would know someone. How about if I asked for that same description to come with me for a coffee?" Maybe he could hit something that Lovino liked to do.

An older gentleman with a golden retriever passed, and Lovino followed them with his eyes (really too lovely and golden for his own good). "Probably not if you're going to be so fucking creepy all the time. Hey." He looked back at Antonio sharply. "Feliciano- my brother- he's had a few dogs before and they never helped. The trainers say he ruined them all or something, but that's just a crock of shit, right?"

"The intricacies of owning a guide dog." Antonio smiled, and then thought that maybe this was his way in. He made a show of glancing at his watch. "Unfortunately, I should be getting back to work. But, I could continue this conversation... perhaps over a drink tonight?"

If Lovino's expression was to grow any more dry, it could have been dessert sands. "You have got to be fucking kidding me." But he was enticed, Antonio could tell, and unless he was completely delusional, perhaps the Spaniard could detect just the slightest pinch of amusement. "Fine. You know what. Fine. Okay. But you're paying."

_Success_! Antonio smiled and gave a small bow. "But of course! Well, you know Rose's bar on Southerland? Meet there at eight, and I'll tell you everything you want to know about guide dogs." With a little wink and a spring in his step, Antonio returned to the kennels. Hopefully it wouldn't take much alcohol to get Lovino drunk enough to agree to spend the night: after all, his pay check wasn't the fattest. But to accomplish this, he was willing to pay just about any bar tab.

He was on ridiculous little pins and needles all afternoon, and dashed home immediately after work for a shower. Judging by Lovino's designer jeans clothes and almost outrageously expensive-looking watches, the Italian was a man of taste, and Antonio was willing to work to fulfill at least some of that expectation. He could probably stand to tidy up a bit, as well.

Hopefully, though, they wouldn't even be coming to his house. He had chosen Rose's because it was close, and judging by the fact that they went to the same grocery store, he figured that Lovino also lived close. That served two purposes: one, he would offer to walk Lovino home, so even if the brunet still refused to sleep with him, he would know where he lived. And two, if they did sleep together, he could leave easily enough without any problems. He wasn't like some guys, and he wouldn't leave while Lovino was still asleep, but he never stuck around much after the good morning kiss and possibly a cup of coffee.

Though, from what he had heard about Italians, they were rather feisty. If he could entice Lovino once in the evening, provided he wasn't too hung over in the morning, perhaps Antonio could even hope for a second go.

Finally it was time to walk over to the bar. He was looking forward to the challenge. As long as the brunet wasn't completely straight (a possibility of which Antonio had his doubts) then he should have a pretty good shot. The best part was that, from what Antonio had seen of his attitude and demeanor, Lovino seemed like the type that would be an animal in bed. Antonio was good at thinking wishfully. It had served him well so far. So cheerfully he checked himself in the mirror one last time before sweeping out of the apartment and down the sidewalk on the comfortably warm summer night, his hands stuffed down the pockets of his jeans.

He arrived at the bar a few minutes fashionably late, and saw Lovino sitting at a table in the corner, already nursing a beer. He walked over, hands in pockets. "Hey beautiful. Care for some company?" Antonio slid into the booth across from him and called the waiter over.

There was a wrinkle in Lovino's brow and he pushed the bottle over. "This stuff is shit," he grumbled, leaning back in his seat and going back to staring out the window.

"Then why did you order it? What would you rather drink?" Antonio took a swig of the beer, noting offhandedly to himself that it tasted fine. He grabbed the wine list from the table and opened it up to see what they had. Antonio didn't know much about wine, but maybe Lovino liked it.

Lovino shrugged, a gesture that was almost painfully elegant, despite the casualty of it. "My taste is... expensive." He leaned on his elbow with his chin cradled in a palm, glancing up at Antonio meaningfully.

Antonio did very well at not showing that it mattered to him how much it cost, he thought. He had a few credit cards, so it shouldn't be too bad. "Well, I would expect nothing less. You obviously came from a wealthy family. Order away." He wondered why Lovino would have ordered the beer in the first place, but it didn't really matter.

Quirking one finely arched eyebrow (hopefully it wouldn't be the only thing arching that evening), Lovino ordered a bottle from the list and with the most vindictive of smirks, he asked for dessert as well.

The Spaniard kept smiling, and when the waitress left, he put his hands on the table. "Well, I guess I should hold up my end of the bargain. What do you want to know about guide dogs?" It was obvious that Lovino was far from being drunk, so he would have to draw this out until he had had a few glasses of wine.

At that, Lovino's interest seemed to finally be piqued. He leaned forward ever so slightly, leaning on his elbows. "Feliciano's always been told that he's too sweet on the dogs," he said with a gruff earnestness. "Is it true that that really makes them inefficient?"

"Yes, absolutely. No matter how well you train a dog, if you spoil them they stop behaving right. Since the owner gave them treats, the dog will do whatever the owner wants, which isn't good for the dogs. They wouldn't stop the owner from walking into something, they would just follow him." Antonio knew that that was usually a problem for some owners, and what he had seen of Feliciano, it was obvious that he would have that problem as well.

Lovino's brow furrowed and he leaned back, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "Well, damn," he sighed. "That's Feli all over. What should I do, then?"

Antonio shrugged and leaned back as well. "Nothing. He's a big boy. Besides, I'm sure Ludwig will not leave him alone until he understands not to spoil her." He smiled and finished off his beer and motioned for another one. "Any more questions?"

A pretty young thing brought Lovino's bottle to the table and the Italian gave her a smile that Antonio had never seen before, winning and too charming for his own good. She flushed at his thanks and smiled back and the instant she was gone, the Lovino Antonio knew was back, frowning and stern. "Yes," he growled, ignoring the bottle. "What can I _do_? I know that my brother is a fucking adult, but that doesn't mean I should just sit by and let him fail again."

"I told you, Ludwig will make sure Feliciano doesn't pamper the dog. He is nothing if not strict. If he can't help your brother, then no one can." He smiled over the top of his bottle, not really wanting to talk about dogs, but they had to keep talking for at least as long as it took Lovino to finish a few glasses of wine.

He had thought that perhaps Lovino would stray from the topic, even just a little. Surely a fit young man, possibly well-traveled, certainly educated, and a bit mouthy would have something else he'd rather discuss than dogs and his brother, but it did not seem so. Lovino did not particularly like the answer that Antonio had provided, and wasted no time in trying to haggle all of the information he could well into the third glass.

By the fifth, Antonio knew more about Feliciano's past more than he ever wanted to, but Lovino was on a roll, sharing anecdotes between sips with a wry little smile on his face.

Because of the number of drinks Lovino had had, Antonio thought it would be fine putting his hand over the Italian's, forcing him to look up. "That's enough about your brother, I want to hear about you. I find you... extremely interesting, Lovino."

Lovino let out a bark of laughter and though his eyes were a bit hazy, they were a bit too knowing for Antonio's tastes. "Try again," he said, pulling his hand back tapping a finger against his own lips. "Nothing I haven't heard before. Gonna have to get creative."

Antonio grinned inwardly. Creative? He could be creative. He gave a sigh and looked down. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you this. I know you won't believe me, who would?" Then he looked up, keeping the serious look on his face. "But I will tell you. We were together, in another life. We are meant to be together, I have finally found you after all these years, and now we have to follow destiny and become lovers."

After a very long, hard moment of staring, Lovino covered his mouth with the back of his hand. He burst out into laughter, his shoulders shaking and body hunched over as he tried to breathe. "Fuck!" he gasped, shaking his head and carrying on with smaller peals of laughter until his forehead rested against the cool table. When he'd finally calmed, Lovino sat up, his cheeks flushed and eyes watering. He wiped at them with the back of his hand. "Holy shit, that was good. Never again."

The Spaniard smiled at him, glad for the reaction he got. "You have a very nice laugh, you know. You should do it more often."

Taking another sip of the wine, Lovino's smile sobered marginally, but did not melt off his face. He shrugged, eyes focused on his hands. "Yeah," he said, quieter than usual. "That's new, too" Another sip. He looked up at Antonio thoughtfully. Then he turned and began fumbling to get out of his seat. "Gotta piss. Back soon."

While he was gone, Antonio flirted a little with a waiter, but made sure that he wasn't when Lovino came back. He didn't want to blow his chances when he was so close, after all. He arrived back at the table looking noticeably less pleased than when he left, his eyes immediately trained back out the window. At first Antonio was worried that Lovino had seen him exchanging pleasantries with the waiter, but after a moment, the Italian spoke. "What are you doing here, really?"

He was a little surprised by the sudden question, but shrugged anyway. "You wanted to ask about the dogs, I wanted to have a drink with you. Don't you think it worked out well?" Antonio held his bottle up and then took another drink. However, he was always careful to not be drunker than Lovino. "Why do you ask?"

Lovino looked at him almost too clearly for a man who had emptied nearly the entire contents of a sizable bottle of wine, his eyes a dark, molten gold in the soft lighting of the place, outlined in lashes so dark it was almost maddening. "Because you don't seem to want my brother, so you're of questionable character, that's why."

Antonio actually laughed at that, surprised by that answer. "Your brother? Alright, I admit that he's cute, but that's only because he looks so much like you. I think that you're much more fun." And besides, he was starting to think that Ludwig kind of had a thing for the younger brother.

"Definitely the other way around," he scoffed, draining the rest of his glass and pouring another. "Feli's... Feli's smart and silly and he's got this smile that's so innocent that it makes you feel like the worst kind of sinner and.." Lovino took a swig. "... And he's just sweet. Kind. Thoughtful and shit. Only an idiot wouldn't want him. Only an idiot wouldn't prefer him."

Antonio hummed, as if in agreement, and took another gulp of beer. "Well that explains it then. After all, you've been calling me an idiot all night."

Another scoff. Lovino avoided his eyes after that, aiming them pretty much everywhere but at the Spaniard across from him. "He's so fuckin' smitten with that potato-gorging bastard," he mumbled finally, forefinger tracing the rim of his glass. "Gonna get himself hurt again. The moron."

So that meant that they were back on the topic of Feliciano. Antonio couldn't believe how fixated Lovino was on him. He had a serious brother complex. "You are very protective of him. I'm sure that he can take care of himself just fine without you always being there." He tilted his head slightly. "You should try to be more selfish. Just worry about what you want."

Lovino did eye him then. "Do you have younger siblings?" he asked, and seemed to read his answer before Antonio could even move just by the change in his smile. "No? You wouldn't get it. I'm responsible for him. He's practic'ly a child. Forgets to tie his own damn laces sometimes."

"If you and everyone stopped babying him, maybe he would grow up. Lovino, you deserve to be happy, stop worrying about your brother. You wouldn't notice a good thing for you if it was right in front of your eyes." Antonio said sincerely. Somehow, this conversation had stopped being about him bedding Lovino. He was curious now. Antonio truly wanted to see what the Italian would be like if he stopped worrying about his brother all the time.

If anything, Lovino's imbibed, honest eyes seemed almost hurt by Antonio's words. He grimaced. "It's bad, then," he said, rubbing his cheek awkwardly. "Fuckin' bad. Can't stand the thought of him. Leaving. Brother's all we've got." He seemed to realize that he was speaking out loud, because he quickly sealed his lips around the rim of the glass and drank.

Antonio sighed at that and decided to drop the subject. Well, anyway, at least Lovino seemed drunk enough now. "I think I should get you home. Is it within walking distance? I'll walk you there." Antonio stood up and got his wallet out of his pocket, grabbing one of his credit cards to pay the bill.

Lovino waved a hand and shoved the card back across the table when Antonio had it out. "Taken care of," he mumbled, standing upright, if a bit wobbly. He righted himself with a hand on the table. "Don't need help. Jus'... sit. Stay."

"'Taken care of'? I thought I was paying." Antonio still stood up to follow him. Even if he hadn't been planning to sleep with Lovino, he wouldn't let a guy this drunk walk home alone. He would probably trip and fall on the road into traffic or something like that.

"Just." He waved Antonio away, shuffling toward the door like an irritated old man. "Just wan'ed to see if you'd really do it. Not jus' posturing. 's my grandfather's stuff that I got. Don't need to pay. Back off, dammit. Can... I can walk home myself."

The Spaniard shook his head and opened the door for him. "Don't worry, I'm not walking you home. I just happen to be going in the same direction." Which just so happened to be Lovino's bed. "Well, you have to let me pay next time."

Lovino laughed at that. "Next time!" he chuckled tilting his head up when a warm breeze blew in. "Damn, do you even hear yourself sometimes?"

"I'm not deaf, so I would assume that I do." Antonio smiled and grabbed the back of Lovino's shirt as he almost walked right into traffic. And the Italian thought he could walk home by himself. Lovino tried to slap his hand away and ended up sulking, trudging on as Antonio guided him patiently down the sidewalk. Eventually, they did make it to Lovino's condominium, Antonio balking at the sheer size of it, and Lovino leaned heavily against the door frame as he allowed Antonio to fumble with the keys. He yawned widely, which did not bode well for Antonio's libido.

Once he found the right key and the door was opened, Lovino almost fell inside, and hardly noticed as Antonio followed after him. The Spaniard put his hand lightly on Lovino's hip, as if to steady him. "So, where is your bedroom?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Lovino hummed, making his way down the hall and stripping as he went. Antonio watched, a little smirk playing on his lips- not so much that he believed he was getting what he hoped for, but because Lovino did it so easily despite his drunkenness, so naturally that it must have been commonplace for him to strip the moment he was in the privacy of his own home. It was odd. It was amusing. It was intriguing.

Unfortunately, he kept his boxers on. Antonio gave a little pout at that, but followed after him. Hopefully they could at least get to a little oral before Lovino passed out or something, or else this would have been all for nothing.

The Italian had shut himself into the bathroom by the time Antonio had shucked his shoes and seated himself on the ridiculously plush bed, and to his surprise, when Lovino came out and fell into bed, he smelled faintly of mint. So he could barely keep himself upright, but he could brush his teeth? Antonio gave a mental shrug and moved to lay beside the young man. Maybe he just had one of those obsessive compulsive disorder things. He brushed a hand through Lovino's hair, thick and soft and smooth to the touch. The Italian closed his eyes and sighed, his minty breath drifting between them.

Glad at the reaction, Antonio went forward, but paused to see if Lovino would pull away. When he didn't, he continued, fitting his lips over the Lovino's soft pink mouth. Maybe too soft... had Lovino also put on chapstick in the bathroom?

A puff of air came and came again and Antonio pulled back to find Lovino laughing quietly, his eyes still closed. "The fuck are you?" he breathed quietly, his eyes opening just a crack. "Can't fuckin' kiss me. Haven't even..." He yawned. "... mmm. Bought me dinner."

"I tried to pay, but you beat me to the bill," Antonio said, running his thumb along Lovino's chin. Was he gonna fall asleep before they even got to second base? To try to keep him awake, Antonio used his other hand to drag his fingers down Lovino's bare stomach.

"Nonno's wine," he sighed, seemingly unperturbed by the wandering hands below. He did, however, respond almost naturally to the hand on his jaw, leaning into it ever so slightly as his eyes fluttered shut once more.

Antonio tried to keep him awake, but knew he was failing. Obviously he was, if Lovino was actually cuddling up to him. The Italian curled up on his side, facing Antonio, eyes mostly closed. Damn, there was nothing he could do about it now, it wasn't like he was going to fool around with a guy who was asleep. He sighed, and moved his hand to stroke through Lovino's hair. "Alright, go to sleep."

A light little snore greeted him, and for the life of him, he did not know whether he was more amused or disappointed.

.oOo.

Unsurprisingly, Antonio was the first to wake up in the morning. He had been a little buzzed the night before, but not nearly as drunk as Lovino. He got out of the bed carefully, making sure not to wake the sleeping Italian, and then went down to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

Everything was in a neat little place in the cupboards and in the drawers. It made sense, of course, for it to be organized in such a way when one had a blind sibling that visited on a frequent basis. It seemed that Lovino did not allow for a healthy smidgeon of chaos in his own home, every little part of his life centered around his younger brother.

It was an older coffee pot, which was strange when Lovino had so much money, so it took a bit of time to make the coffee. Antonio didn't mind, however, as it gave him a chance to look around the house. There were a few pictures on the wall, mostly of Feliciano, some of them were him and an older man. And there was one of Feliciano and Lovino standing with a beautiful lady that looked to be their mother. Lovino's smile was uncomfortable when he was faced with a camera, though everyone else's seemed easy and cheerful. There were no candid shots anywhere to compare with.

The furniture that he had missed the night before as they stumbled through the house in the dark was, when brought to the light, deceptively plain, but was just pristine enough to suggest tasteful, elegant simplicity. A fortune spent to look ordinary. Antonio shook his head and made his way around the room, observing the very tall, very full bookshelves all along one wall, and the fireplace that was so clean that Antonio doubted it had ever been used since the building was erected.

Looking at this house, Antonio was reminded of what he felt the night before when Lovino had talked about his brother. Lovino didn't even try to live for himself. This house was empty. The only proof that anyone lived here were the pictures on the wall, and they all were of his brother. It just... didn't seem fair that he had to live his life like this.

When the coffee was done, Antonio put it in two mugs and got some sugar and cream. Maybe... maybe he could be the one to make Lovino think about himself more, and not just about his brother.

Lovino was interesting anyway. You'd think that with no interests outside of his brother, the Italian would be completely dull, but from what Antonio had experienced, he was anything but. Perhaps a little sheltered, but never boring. Even his bad expressions made Antonio want to smile, and his uninhibited laughter was far too charming for his own good. And maybe, if he worked really hard, he might even get laid by that pert little ass. Grinning to himself, Antonio gently nudged himself into the bedroom and set the coffee and cream on the table before flopping onto his stomach to stare at the young man at close range. Thinking twice, he twisted around and grabbed his mug before returning to watch Lovino sleep.

Even unconscious, Lovino did not seem to rest easy. He still frowned, though it was far more mild than his truly derisive scowls, and Antonio wondered offhandedly if that was just Lovino's default expression. He reached out without a thought to it and ran his fingers beneath the deep, dark reddish-brown hair that swept over the Italian's forehead.

The man twitched and groaned, then pressed his face into the pillow. "Don' wanna get up. Go 'way, Feli." he grumbled, not even opening his eyes.

Antonio chuckled a little, still stroking his hair. "Feli isn't here."

Those dark, languid muscles along the student's back stiffened and his one visible eye cracked open. "Fuck," he mumbled, burrowing deeper into the covers.

Antonio sighed and grabbed the mug of coffee. "Cream and sugar?" he asked, feeling a little guilty that Lovino was so hung over. After all, it was his fault that the Italian had drunk so much the night before.

"What?" Lovino hissed, glaring up at him from puffy white blankets. He assessed the situation with red-rimmed eyes: Antonio, then the mug in his hand, then the clock on the bedside table, and then back to the coffee. "No. I take it black. Shit, what time is it? I need my contacts... ugh."

He handed the mug over, humming a little in surprise that Lovino wore contacts. "Do you have glasses I can grab for you?"

That look of disgust was back again. He curled his slim fingers around the warm mug and took a sip. "Absolutely not. I'll just... later. When I don't feel like offing myself. How much did you let me drink last night?"

"Just enough for you to have some fun." Antonio put some cream and sugar in his own cup, stirring it with the spoon. He took a sip. Lovino drained his faster than perhaps was recommended for a beverage so hot and thrust the mug back at Antonio, slowly sitting himself up and rubbing his eyes. "Time."

He looked at the clock. "Almost ten o'clock. Hopefully you don't have anywhere to be, because it doesn't look like you'll be out of bed any time soon." Antonio put the empty mug on the side table, looking around the room. "Do you want some Advil or something?"

"Get me the fuckin' bottle," he grumbled, flopping back down into the ocean of blankets. Antonio chuckled and moved into the adjoining bathroom to look for the pills. When he stepped back out, he was presented with a long, gorgeous back and shoulder blades pulled taut as Lovino was leaned up on his elbows. He seemed to be texting on his rather expensive-looking phone, squinting at the little screen as his thumbs flew across the keypad.

Antonio sat on the bed and handed him the bottle of pills, as well as a glass of water. "Texting your brother? Or how can he even get texts..." Maybe there was a way that blind people could have texts read to them?

"No," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Client. Thanks." He popped two Advil and let his head flop back down into the pillow.

He nodded and watched him for a minute. "What do you do, exactly?" Maybe if Lovino had spent any time from last night to talk about himself instead of his brother, he would know.

The coffee seemed to have sharpened Lovino's senses, because his eyes were clear when he turned them to Antonio. "I work for my grandfather," he grumbled, slowly rolling to his back.

"Oh? Doing what exactly?" He was pretty sure that Feliciano was going to University, but he was a little younger than Lovino, so it made sense that the older one was already working. Obviously it was a well-paying job.

"You know," he said, shrugging lightly as he sat up. "Wine and shit. It's boring. Hey, what the fuck are you doing here?"

Antonio laughed and laid down on top of the covers. "You didn't seem to mind me being here last night." He was confident that if Lovino hadn't fallen asleep last night, they would have gone all the way. Now that he had gotten this far, he wasn't going to back out just because the Italian didn't want to admit that he liked him.

The Italian looked almost scandalized by the ease at which Antonio eased himself down into the plush comforter. The sleek, shiny mobile buzzed with an incoming message and Lovino brought it up close to his face, reading over whatever was written there and replying with thumbs that were almost a blur, they were so quick. "Yeah, thanks to all of the fuckin' alcohol," he droned while he texted.

"Aw, don't be like that." Antonio finished off his own coffee. "After all, it was you who agreed to go out with me last night." He was hoping that it would be easy now for him to stay with Lovino, at least until he got another chance to sleep with him.

"Right," he conceded, firing the message off before letting it fall into his lap and yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it. Even though it wasn't all helpful. So what are you _still _doing here?"

The Spaniard chuckled, and sat up on the bed. "Come on, I was a perfect gentleman last night, doesn't that get me any points? I tried to pay, I walked you home, stayed with you to make sure you didn't choke on your own puke, and I didn't even try to take advantage of you. I would say I'm a modern day knight in shining armor."

At that, Lovino actually laughed. He picked up his phone and resumed texting when another message came in. "You found out, then?" he said with a little smirk. "It doesn't count if I can't get it up anyway."

Antonio lifted an eyebrow at that. "What? You're... impotent? You're a bit young to get ED. And for your information, I didn't even get in your pants, you fell asleep after one kiss."

"No!" Lovino cried, flushed and alarmed. "You're so fucking- no. No, I mean... when I'm drunk, I can't... holy fuck, of course I can, you know, on a normal basis... Damn."

"Oh... I'll keep that in mind for future then." Well, that complicated things. Antonio shrugged it off. "I guess that makes sense. I mean, after that kiss, you would have been so hard you wouldn't be able to help yourself. No wonder you just fell asleep."

"K-kiss?" His thumbs stilled and he finally looked up from the screen. "I-I wouldn't kiss you...! And I wouldn't get hard from a kiss! How young do you think I am?"

He smirked, finally having gotten a reaction out of Lovino. "It was a pretty amazing kiss. It's too bad you don't remember it, really. Of course, I could always give you an encore?" He was having fun playing up what they had had last night, even though he hadn't even gotten any tongue in. But if the Italian didn't remember it, then what was the problem with a little bit of teasing?

"You've gotta be kidding me," he hissed, glaring furiously at Antonio. "What else did you do to me while I was under the influence? I could file for sexual fucking harassment."

"I told you! I was a total gentleman, we only kissed." He gave a handsome smirk. "Besides, I didn't do anything you didn't want. I couldn't resist after you started taking your own clothes off in front of me. You have a really beautiful body, you know."

Lovino's whole body froze at that. If Antonio had expected him to blush prettily at the compliment, he was sorely disillusioned. If anything, Lovino seemed guarded, posed and ready to run at a moment's notice. He did not seem flattered in the slightest. He was only confused. Which just meant that he had to try harder. "I think I must be really lucky. Lucky that no one else has swept you away. I guess they just don't see what I see. You really are beautiful. And I'm not just talking about your body." Even if they were lines that he had used countless times, Antonio felt the potential here to see the reality in them. Lovino was interesting and funny, in his own way, and very self-possessed, which was insanely attractive to Antonio. It was too bad he seemed to be both confident and overly self-conscious all at once.

"You, um." Lovino frowned, his eyes averting from Antonio's to the phone in his hands. "You need to go."

That... was not the reaction he had been expecting. Antonio bit back a smirk. "Make me."

Stumbling out of the bed, Lovino grabbed the back of his head and closed his eyes. "Really. You need to go. I'm going to take a shower. I'd like you to be gone by the time I get out. And if you get any funny ideas, I'll bust your fucking kneecaps."

Green eyes going wide, Antonio shot a hand out, catching Lovino's wrist. "Did... did I say something wrong? Or... do something wrong? Please, if I've... offended you or something, tell me."

Lovino flinched away from his touch, startled. "No. Yes. Fuck, just... I need to shower. Thanks for... yesterday." He rubbed the side of his neck and retreated into the bathroom far quicker than Antonio had ever seen him move before.

The Spaniard sighed and looked around the room. He saw Lovino's phone on the pillow, and went over and grabbed it. He quickly got the number, and put his own in there as well. At least now he knew where the brunet lived, and knew his phone number. The challenge was still on.

.oOo.

Antonio sighed in frustration. About a week had passed since his first date with Lovino, if it could even have been called that. At work, they had just received a litter of new puppies, and everyone was working overtime trying to get them trained. He hadn't had much time to himself, so he hadn't seen Lovino at all. There were a few times that he went by his house after work, but each time the Italian wasn't home.

So, Antonio started texting him instead.

Thursday, 8:56 AM Antonio: _The puppy I'm working with is almost as cute as you XOXO_

Thursday, 9:02 AM Lovino: _Fuck off._

Thursday, 9:47 AM Antonio:_ D: such dirty language_

Thursday, 10:12 AM Antonio: _Lovino. Lovino._

Thursday, 12:58 PM Antonio: _LoviLoviLoviLoviLovi Are you free for lunch?_

Thursday, 1:07 PM Lovino: _No.  
><em>

Thursday, 1:12 PM Antonio: _Are U free for dinner?_

Thursday, 1:13 PM Antonio: _Or drinks?_

Thursday, 1:13 PM Antonio: _how about a movie?_

Thursday, 1:14 PM Antonio: _Would U play Pool with me?_

Thursday, 1:16 PM Antonio: _Can I sleep over? :3_

Thursday, 1:17 PM Lovino: _I'll fucking kill you. _

Thursday, 1:17 PM Antonio: _So is that a no?_

Thursday, 1:18 PM Lovino: _It's a no._

Thursday, 1:21 PM Antonio: _Is it because ur bad at pool?_

Thursday, 1:22 PM Antonio: _or sleepovers?_

Thursday, 1:22 PM Antonio: _because I can see why you'd be bad at sleepovers. _

Thursday, 1:25 PM Lovino: _That doesn't even make sense. Now shut up. I'm working.  
><em>

Thursday, 5:46 PM Antonio: _Are u still working?_

Thursday, 6:03 PM Antonio: _If U don't answer I'll just keep texting_

Thursday, 6:04 PM Antonio: _Alright then, here we go_

Thursday, 6:04 PM Antonio: _I'm just at home, eating dinner_

Thursday, 6:04 PM Antonio: _Naked_

Thursday, 6:05 PM Antonio: _Did I mention I was a nudist?_

Thursday, 6:06 PM Antonio: _Just do everything naked. Cook naked. Read naked. Touch myself naked. Think of U naked. _

Thursday, 6:12 PM Antonio: _Wow, really thought that would have gotten a response _

Thursday, 6:25 PM Lovino: _I had a meeting. What the fuck? Eight messages? Really?_

Thursday, 6:27 PM Antonio: _Yay Lovi! UR talking again! What are U wearing?_

Thursday, 6:39 PM Lovino: _A suit. _

Thursday, 6:40 PM Antonio: _That's kind of hot Lovi. _

Thursday, 6:46 PM Lovino: _At a work dinner. Stop talking.  
><em>

Thursday, 6:48 PM Antonio: _Have another drink for me 8D_

Friday, 12:18 AM Antonio: _Lovi I can't sleep. Read me a bedtime story?_

Friday, 10:56 AM Antonio: _I miss u. Do u miss me?_

Friday, 11:19 PM Lovino: _I don't even know you._

Friday, 11:22 AM Antonio: _Sure u do. _

Friday, 11:25 AM Antonio: _U know enough._

Friday, 11:26 AM Antonio: _Enough to want me. Uncontrollably._

Friday, 11:34 PM Lovino: _Oh, I don't know. I think I'm holding up pretty well._

Friday, 11:48 AM Antonio: _I bet if u saw me right now u wouldn't be able to stop yourself from jumping me_

Friday, 11:49 AM Antonio: _U would start kissing me and begging for more_

Friday, 12:01 PM Lovino: _I really wouldn't._

Friday, 12:09 PM Lovino: _Do you have anything important to say?_

Friday, 12:09 PM Lovino: _I mean, actually important?_

Friday, 12:37 PM Antonio: _Of course I do! But every time I say how beautiful u r, u get mad at me_

Friday, 12:38 PM Antonio: _I mean, other then that the only important thing I can talk about is the working dogs._

Friday, 12:39 PM Lovino: _That's what you know best. I only want the helpful information._

Friday, 12:40 PM Lovino: _Feel free to tell me anything you can about the dogs._

Friday, 12:58 PM Antonio: _Well, dogs r like humans. For example, I'm working with one right now that's so cute, but pretends not 2 like me. Sound familiar?_

Friday, 1:04 PM Lovino: _So how soon should Feli be able to take his home?_

Friday, 1:07 PM Lovino: _And do you really think that that potato-sucking asshole will be able to properly train him?_

Friday, 1:09 PM Lovino: _Feli, I mean._

Friday, 1:13 PM Antonio: _Well, that sounds like another dinner conversation. I did say I would pay next time._

Friday, 1:19 PM Lovino: _Nice try. But no._

Friday, 1:20 PM Antonio: _Alright, then u pay_

Friday, 1:29 PM Lovino: _My lunch hour is over. Stop texting me unless you have something to say that would be useful to me._

That night, Lovino found a card in front of his door. He opened it up, and noticed a silly-looking clown on the front.

_Feli told me that your birthday was last week. Sorry I missed it! Happy belated Birthday! Maybe I can be your present?  
>Antonio XOXO<em>

Friday, 11:06 PM Lovino: _You cannot._

Friday, 11:32 PM Antonio: _Aw, but I already had the wrapping paper out and everything!_

Friday, 11:39 PM Lovino: _Well that's just a damn tragedy.  
><em>  
>Friday, 11:39 PM Lovino: <em>Also, don't come to my house when I'm not around.<em>

Friday, 11:40 PM Lovino: _Or when I am around._

Friday, 11:40 PM Lovino: _Ever._

Friday, 11:41 PM Antonio: _So... would it be really awkward if I was actually on ur doorstep about to ring the door bell?_

Friday, 11:42 PM Lovino: _Yes. _

Friday, 11:43 PM Lovino: _I hope you're fucking joking._

A second later, the door bell rang and Lovino hung his head. He had really come over? Why would he come over now? He went to the door and looked through the peep hole, and sure enough, Antonio was standing on the step with a handful of roses. Cracking open the door, Lovino scowled at the beaming Spaniard outside. "What the hell did I just say?"

"You said it after I was already here. Well, I was almost here, and I wasn't gonna turn around." Lovino glared as Antonio pushed his way through the door just enough to thrust the bouquet at him. "Happy belated birthday! I would have left them on the step with the card but I didn't want someone to steal them, and... well, I wanted to see you."

"Why?" Lovino asked tersely, looking at the bouquet as if he didn't quite know what to do with it. Turning on his heel, Lovino moved toward the kitchen to find a vase.

Antonio followed after him. "Why did I want to see you? Do I really have to answer that?" he said with a laugh, but was happy when Lovino took out a vase. "I don't think I've been really discrete in trying to get you to go out with me."

"I'm not going to date you," Lovino said bluntly, only looking at him long enough to scowl. "And 'not discrete' seems a lot like stalking, don't you think? Borderline creepy." He filled the crystal case with water and arranged the flowers inside, stroking the silken petals. "... I do like roses, though, so thanks."

The Spaniard rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the chairs. "You keep saying those things, but I don't believe them."

Lovino glanced at him sharply. "What? Why not? I wasn't lying- I do like them. Can't I like things?"

"Not that. You keep acting like you want nothing to do with me. You say that the only reason you talk to me at all is to get information about the dogs." Antonio grinned widely then. "But if you hate me so much, why don't you ask a different trainer? Talk to Ludwig, he's the one who trained Feliciano's dog, so why not ask him? Or any other trainer there? You keep talking to _me_."

"You're convenient," Lovino mumbled, leaning forward to take a deep breath of the crimson roses. "And you're dumb enough to keep talking to me, even after you became acquainted with me. So you're the obvious choice." He huffed. "And that German asshole is too fuckin' scary."

Antonio laughed at that. "If you have questions about the dogs, it's our job to answer them, if you didn't want to talk to Ludwig, you could talk to any of the other trainers." He stood up, and went around the table to stand beside Lovino. "Look, I don't know why you keep trying to push me away, but you should give me a chance. Go out with me. If you still want nothing to do with me, then I'll leave you alone."

"No!" he growled, stepping guardedly away. "You really need to learn to take no for an answer. I'm not just going to jump into a relationship. I don't know you. I'm not going to be romantically involved with a veritable stranger."

"That's what the date's for. We get to know each other more. It's just a date, not a commitment. After the date, I won't call you, I won't text you or anything, but if you want to talk then all you have to do is send a text." Antonio's eyes were more serious now, almost pleading him to say yes. "Come on, when was the last time you did something just for yourself?"

Snatching the vase up, he brushed past Antonio to the dining room, where he set the flowers down and began to fumble with them distractedly. "Stop saying that, you presumptuous ass." Lovino gripped the base of a rose a little too hard and winced, sticking the pricked thumb into his mouth. "You just assume I don't do what I want, but that's bullshit. I _only _do what I like. Fuck."

Antonio looked at the injured thumb, and grabbed a paper towel and handed it to Lovino. "I think you do too many things for your brother. I understand: he's blind, so your parents probably told you that you had to look out for him, yeah? But Feliciano is all grown up now. He doesn't need his big brother to look after him, and you need to take some chances. You might get lucky."

Flushed and angry, Lovino gripped the paper furiously in his fist. "Yeah?" he said with a sneer. "And that's you, right? You're gonna be the dream-come-true that makes everything right in my life? You, the bastard that thinks primarily with his dick. If you want a fuck, fine. But you need to cut all this shit." He gestured to the roses, as red as the blood welling from his thumb. "Just say you want to sleep with me and when Feliciano's finished with his training, I'll sleep with you. I don't have the time or patience to do this fucking song and dance with you, Antonio. Just because you want to get into my pants, that doesn't give you the right to tell me how to live my life."

"I don't just want a fuck!" Antonio practically yelled, surprising himself. Well... it was true, wasn't it? When was the last time he had tried this hard just to get in someone's pants? Sure, at first it had been a challenge, but normally he would have given up when someone hotter came along. He glanced away, composing himself again, putting the smirk back on his face. "I mean honestly, you're hot, but you're not hot enough for me to try this hard just to have sex. It's more, alright?"

Bewildered, Lovino took a minute step back. "Fuck you!" he cried. "You don't know anything about me. And if you did, you wouldn't want this, so just fuck off!"

The taller brunet scoffed. "No, I don't know what your favorite ice cream is, or where you grew up, or how long you picked your nose for. It's your personality I like, I don't care about the other stuff." Antonio shrugged. "At this point, pretty much the only thing that could turn me off would be if you were a crazy ax murderer or something."

Lovino laughed at that. A near-hysterical bark of laughter, and he pressed the back of his hand to his mouth. "I could be in the mafia. What if?" he said, grinning behind his hand. "I could be that. A crazy-ass motherfucking ax murderer. I could be worse."

"No offense, but you don't really seem like the mafia type. The only mafia-ish thing you have going for you is the fact that you're Italian." Antonio grinned widely. "Besides, you're too cute to be mafia."

"That doesn't even make sense," he said, shaking his head. Then he sighed and looked tiredly from Antonio to the roses. Lovino rubbed the side of his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Okay. Sit. I'm gonna make some coffee."

_Finally_! Antonio sat down on the chair, watching Lovino go to the kitchen. "It totally makes sense. The mafia guys in the movies have big noses, scars on their faces, and huge rings on their fingers. You have none of those."

"Oh?" Lovino said with a dry, amused snort as he rinsed out the pot. "And of course movies accurately portray everyone in the mafia."

"Of course." Antonio snorted a little at that. This was going really well so far. He had been in the house a whole five minutes and hadn't been thrown out or threatened with bodily harm. Normally, he would start putting on the _moves _now to get Lovino exactly where he wanted. But... maybe he could take this one slow. Obviously his other tactics weren't working. He was going to have to switch it up.

As the brew dripped, Lovino returned to the dining room and flopped down across from Antonio, shucking his jacket and draping it over the back of his chair. Lovino leaned back, smoothing the absent wrinkles in his charcoal waistcoat.

"So. I think we need to be on the same page." He gave Antonio the sharp stare he reserved for his more difficult clients. "I'm not planning to date you."

"You're... not?"

"No." He gazed down at his neat, trim nails. "I'm in no position to date. And it has very little to do with my brother."

Antonio hummed and nodded his head. "So what does it have to do with?"

Lovino shrugged. "I just don't date. I've got a job that eats up my time and energy, and whatever I have left over I use for online courses for school. And I refuse to be perpetually on call for anybody besides Feliciano. Not to mention my personality doesn't exactly encourage close relationships."

"I wouldn't mind having to fit in your schedule. I'm not like a girlfriend. I wouldn't demand your time or anything." As long as he got to see Lovino at all, he would be happy. "And I already said I like your personality, didn't I?"

"Yeah, for now," he said, standing when the timer went off on the coffee machine. He made two cups and slid the second mug and a little pitcher of creamer in front of the Spaniard before he returned to his seat. "But you've only met me a handful of times. I've lived with myself for twenty-three years. I'm aware of how fucking awful I can be. And I like it this way. I'm not going to change."

He added some cream to his coffee and took a sip. "I didn't ask you to change. You have to stop deciding for me if I like you or not." Antonio put some sugar in to sweeten it up and stirred it. "But it's not like I'm proposing to you. You don't have to decide if you want to spend your whole life with me. All I'm asking right now is for a chance. A date. Come on."

"No." Antonio frowned and opened his mouth to protest, but Lovino held a hand up. "I'm not going to go on a date with you. But I'd be willing to go somewhere as acquaintances. Er. Friends."

Well... he could work with that. "Alright, I'll agree to that. But, it has to be some place where we can talk, get to know each other better. You're the one always saying I don't know you, right?"

"So food?" Lovino said with a smirk, sipping his coffee. "Or did you have something else in mind?"

"Food would be fine. You wanna pick the place? And, since you said it wasn't a date, we'll each pay our own?" He wasn't sure his pride could take another time of Lovino paying the bill for both of them. He wasn't a gold digger, dammit!

"Yeah," Lovino answered with a little smirk. "That's what it means. Not dating. So obviously we'd pay separately. And we're not going to eat from each other's plates like some fucking romantic comedy, and we're not going to end up caught in the rain, or spill shit and have to strip. There will be a no-tolerance policy in regards to sexual tension."

Antonio laughed at that, putting his mug on the table. "But what if you choke on your food and I have to give you mouth to mouth?"

"You won't. The Heimlich will do just fine." He took another sip. "And I won't choke. I think I know how to properly chew and swallow my food, thanks. Asshole."

He finished his coffee quickly and took it to the kitchen. "Alright, we'll go tomorrow then. You pick the place and text me." Antonio looked back at him and winked. "And I'll see you on our not-date."

"Busy tomorrow," Lovino said flippantly, taking his phone out of the pocket in his trousers and tapping away at something or other. "Not free until... Sunday evening."

Antonio sighed at that. Of course he would pick a day that they were working in the morning. "Alright, Sunday it is. But that means I'll have to go a whole day without seeing you!" He made a pretend whine and laughed when Lovino glared at him. "Just kidding. See you Sunday."

"Get out of my house," Lovino said, waving a hand.

He glanced up when the sound of the front door snapping shut reached his ears and then moved his eyes thoughtfully to the brilliant bouquet of roses. This could be fun, he thought idly. Or interesting, at the very least.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunday, 11:23 AM Lovino: _Chantana's_

Sunday, 11:26 AM Antonio: _Isn't that East Indian food? Way too spicy for me_

Sunday, 11:27 AM Lovino: _I like spicy._

Sunday, 11:27 AM Antonio: _I bet you do :P_

Sunday, 11:30 AM Lovino: _You're Spanish. Don't even try to tell me you don't like spicy._

Sunday, 11:31 AM Lovino: _Or... is it that you can't handle it? If so, I understand. It's not for the faint of tongued._

Sunday, 11:34 AM Antonio: _It's not my fault, I was born over here. Only my parents were born in Spain_

Sunday, 11:35 AM Antonio: _How about Japanese?_

Sunday, 11:36 AM Lovino: _I'm not eating raw fish. _

Sunday, 11:39 AM Antonio: _Not all Japanese food dis raw fish! _

Sunday, 11:40 AM Antonio: _I didn't picture you as a foodist._

Sunday, 11:42 AM Lovino: _You're too fucking lame to be real. _

Sunday, 11:43 AM Lovino: _What about Thai.  
><em>

Sunday, 11:52 AM Antonio: _That's still spicy!_

Sunday, 12:01 PM Lovino:_ You are so picky! Not all Thai is spicy! Fine, how about The Grill? Good steak. _

Sunday, 12:06 PM Antonio: _Alright. I've never been there before. _

Sunday, 12:21 PM Lovino: _Such a fucking baby. Glad you've decided on the tamest possible thing._

Sunday, 12:23 PM Antonio: _Ur the one who suggested it. So meet there at 7?_

Sunday, 12:29 PM Lovino: _I'll be there. Now stop talking. I have a meeting to conduct._

Antonio made sure to wear his best clothes, a dark green button up shirt and dark wash jeans. This may not be labeled a date, but the didn't mean he couldn't dress up for it.

Once he made it to the restaurant, he saw Lovino waiting outside the door. It seemed Antonio hadn't been the only one with the thought to dress up. Well. Either that, or Lovino had come straight from work to the restaurant. The Italian looked quite sharp in his finely tailored grey suit and pants, tapping away at something or other on his phone. He looked up when Antonio came to stand directly in front of him, his face a careful mask of expectant boredom. "Didn't want to risk being fashionably early, did you?" he said in a dry tone.

"Don't want to seem too eager. Besides, this isn't a date so it doesn't matter, right?" He smiled and held the door open for Lovino, following him inside.

The Italian secured them both a fine table with a flirty little wink to the hostess, who batted her dark eyes at him and brought them to a quiet little spot in the corner of the restaurant. Lovino immediately ordered wine and water after a quick glance at the menu and pushed it over toward Antonio.

"I'll just have a water please," Antonio said and put the drink menu down. "You shouldn't drink much either. Don't want the same thing happening as last time." He smiled at him from over the menu.

"I'm not going to drink a whole bottle," he replied tersely, "you cheeky fuck." Lovino gazed over the menu in his hand thoughtfully. "So, my week has been boring as shit. You'd better have some clever anecdote to share, or there's no use for you after all."

Antonio thought back to his week and smiled as he remembered something. He knew Lovino would like it. "Alright. Well, on Tuesday, most of us were in the kennels with the dogs, and Ludwig was in one with some puppies, and two older dogs, cleaning up. And, one of the puppies started climbing on his back, which happens sometimes. But it was a really small puppy, and he didn't want him to fall off, so he didn't just stand up, and then another puppy climbed up, and another, and then one of the big dogs climbed on his back, and soon he fell over because all the dogs were climbing on him." Antonio snorted at the memory, because Ludwig had been so awkward about the whole thing, with everyone seeing.

Lovino blinked for a moment before, almost unbidden, a little grin grew on his face and he snickered, leaning back in his seat. "Of course that bastard would be compromised by a bunch of puppies. Did you take pictures?"

"Sorry, didn't have my phone with me." Antonio grinned, glad that he could make Lovino smile. "But I'll make sure to carry it from now on, in case a puppy pees on him or something." He liked Ludwig well enough, but the man was so uptight, it was fun seeing him in compromising positions.

"Hmm." A little smile remained on Lovino's face as the waitress returned with a bottle and three glasses.

Antonio took his glass of water, and realized they hadn't even glanced at the dinner menu. "If we could have another minute?" The waitress nodded and left, so he opened the menu. "I'm kind of jealous, Lovi. You always give such nice smiles to the pretty girls, but not me."

The young man in the expensive suit across the table rolled his eyes and turned his menu over to the back. "Turn into a pretty girl, and maybe we'll talk," he said with a little glance toward the woman walking away.

"But it's strange. My gaydar is rarely wrong, so why do you flirt with girls so much?" Because there was absolutely no way that Lovino was straight. Possibly a little bi, but that was it.

Lovino glanced at him a little sharply. Then, almost smiling, he said, "If you ever met my grandfather, you would understand. It's as much business as it is pleasure. Flirting, I mean. After a while, it becomes second nature. And besides." He cocked his head just slightly to the side and smirked. "It's so much easier to smile at pretty girls. They're not the ones out to kill or fuck you over. Usually."

Antonio laughed at that. "They can surprise you. Ever give one your heart, and they can be the worst thing on this planet." He took a sip of his water, winking at Lovino. "That's why I lean more towards guys. At least they're usually honest."

"Or stupid," Lovino countered, sipping at the vintage brew. "That's my problem. I only attract idiots and assholes. Fuck 'em. Fuck all of them. I'll just get a cat or something."

"I take offense to that! I'm not an asshole, and I would say I'm fairly smart." Antonio said with a smirk.

"And I'm very pointedly not dating you," Lovino said, his lips curling up in return. "You're a category all your own. The appallingly persistent."

Another smirk. "You didn't say anything about dating, you said you attract idiots and assholes. I'm very attracted to you, but am neither an asshole or an idiot. So." He looked down at the menu, deciding to just get the steak combo.

When the waitress returned, she turned to Lovino first and, almost as if in challenge, he gave her a dazzling smile. His voice was rich and warm when he ordered, and in handing the menu to her, Antonio could have sworn that Lovino's long fingers brushed hers. Her apple-red cheeks attested to much of the same, and when she turned to Antonio, Lovino's flirtatious sweetness folded into a smirk positively bubbling with sadistic mirth.

Well, two could play at that game. Antonio gave her a sideways look, and his smile was small, almost secretive. "Yes, I'll have the... sorry, miss, what's your name? I have a thing for names, you see."

She giggled a little, obviously flustered to have two attractive men flirting so openly with her. "It's Angela."

"Angela, beautiful name. Greek, meaning messenger of God, I believe. Well, Angela, my name is Antonio. I'll have the steak combo, please, medium well." And he handed her his menu with a small wink.

Lovino's eyes are positively alight with some intense, golden fire, and before she could escape, Lovino reached out to gently grab her wrist. With the slightest hint of an accent (cheating little devil) he said, nearly sheepish, "Sorry, could I maybe trouble you for the wine menu again? I wanted to try this, but," and with that he wrinkled his nose just enough to be adorable, and then grinned amicably, "it's a little too bitter for me. You know?"

She nodded, that little blush still on her face. "Oh, right. I usually find wine really bitter myself." She left after that, and Antonio didn't want to scare her off by trying to one-up Lovino. At least not until she returned.

The Spaniard giggled a little. "What do you think she would do if she knew we both liked men?"

"She might feel a bit affronted," Lovino said, sipping contentedly at his "too-bitter" wine. "People don't seem to like it when advances toward them are made in jest. Or so I'm told." He chuckled. "You're pretty good for a fag, though."

"You're not so bad yourself." Antonio leaned back in his chair, looking across the table at his companion. "Besides, I'm only bi. Sometimes I go for girls. Mostly just for sex though, anything more then that, and well, like I said, pretty girls can do horrible things with your heart."

"I wouldn't pin you for the quick-fuck type," Lovino said. "Contrary to all you've tried to get into my pants, of course. You just seem pretty fucking dogged. Dedicated, if we're using _nice _words." He circled the rim of the wine glass with his forefinger. "Attached. It's hard to imagine you as a quick fuck without strings attached. You're not like some of us."

He shrugged at that. "I'm more of the friends with benefits type, normally. I won't lie, I'm a hopeless romantic, but I'm careful about who I chose to get attached to. Got my heart broken too much as a teenager, and now I know better than to give it to everyone I have sex with."

"Yeah." Lovino glanced out the window without any further elaboration and propped his chin in his hand.

The waitress returned with a wine menu for Lovino and he ordered a second glass of a brand that Antonio had never heard of before and sent the girl off with a wink.

Antonio held his hands up when she left and laughed. "Alright, I give up. You're obviously the better flirt." Well, mostly he didn't like to see Lovino go the extra mile to flirt with her when he was right there. "I'm sure you two will be very happy together."

"As long as she brings my pasta soon, we surely will," he said with a grave little nod. "Anything they make here with sun-dried tomatoes is guaranteed to be fucking stellar. Shit, I'm drooling just thinking about it."

Lovino had another glass of wine before their food came, and Antonio was already thinking he would have to walk him home again. Although, this time he wouldn't stay the night. He had to at least pretend he went along with this whole 'not-date' thing. To his disappointment, though, Lovino seemed to catch himself, and he stopped ordering further glasses, contenting himself with a glass of water. His cheeks and nose remained ever so slightly flushed, at least.

They were about half way through their food, when Antonio moved to cross his leg, and accidentally kicked Lovino's foot. The Italian looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Antonio held his hands up in surrender. "I swear I wasn't trying to play footsie or anything."

"The fuck ever," he mumbled in reply around a mouthful of ragu, and then, quite to Antonio's surprise, a swift little kick was returned to his calf.

Now it was his turn to look pointedly across the table. Antonio kicked back, not about to let Lovino best him. Then he quickly moved his legs so the smaller brunet had to search around a bit to kick him again.

An adorable look of concentration morphed on Lovino's face as he kicked around the little area under the table, and when he finally found Antonio's legs, a triumphant grin lit up the stony features.

Their kicks grew in strength, until they almost knocked over the glasses on the table. A waiter walked by and gave them a disconcerting look, and they both stopped, little guilty smirks on their faces.

"I'm buzzed," Lovino said, glaring pointedly at the Spaniard. "And that's the only reason I didn't win. So by default, I did."

"That's not how that works. It's your own fault that you're drunk, so I won. And besides, you started it." Antonio gave him a defiant look, taking a bite of his cooling steak. He probably could have made a better one, but it was very doubtful that Lovino would agree to go to his house.

Those expressive eyes across the table widened and an indignant splutter followed close after. "_I _started it? You kicked me first!"

"That was an accident, though. You did the first intentional kick, so you started it." Antonio explained easily, his grin widening. One thing was for sure, he wasn't ever bored with Lovino.

"How am I supposed to take your word for it?" the Italian asked, twirling the pasta on his dish around the fork between his fingers. "You could have started it knowing I wouldn't be able to resist a challenge, you cunning bastard."

Antonio smirked at that. "Do you really think I'm that smart?"

Lovino regarded him closely, and Antonio knew that that calculating gaze moving slowly over him could either mean nothing good or something very, very good. Then a smirk quirked at Lovino's lips and he took a bite of the pasta. "Nope."

It was amazing how quickly the minutes ticked by, and soon they were both done their meals and too full for dessert. They went up front to pay, and Lovino had almost grabbed Antonio's bill, but the Spaniard said that if he did that it would be a date. There was a bit of a line up at the till, so they both waited.

Opening the billfold, Lovino made to glance down at the ticket when a little strip of paper fluttered down from Antonio's half of the black fold. He bent to pick it up, and upon straightening, he blinked. And then he snorted, handing it over. "This is yours, I think."

He looked at it, and saw 7 digits. Antonio smiled. "Aw, that's so cute, she gave me her number. Well, I guess that means that I win biggest flirt, then?" Or, maybe it was the fact that he had stopped flirting with her after that. Either way, he put it in his pocket. He didn't want to throw it away and have her find it, hurting her feelings, so he would throw it away at home or something.

Lovino's eyes followed the movement and cleared his throat as they stepped forward in line. "Messengers of God are your type, then?" he asked, glancing aimlessly up at the ceiling.

He snorted, figuring they were just kidding around as usual. "Oh yeah, I'm kinky like that." He was next in line, but before he could get to the front to pay, a man bumped into him and went in front.

"I've been waiting here for half a fucking hour! Now get us a table already!" he growled at the hostess on duty, who started to apologize. A lady, whose belly was swollen and obviously with child, stepped up to him, trying to calm him down. "Shut up, Mary. Go sit down," he said harshly, grabbing her by the arm and pushing her towards a chair.

She stumbled back and laid a hand over her stomach, her expression one of fretful worry. Lovino's shoulders tensed as they both turned to look. "Hey, fuckass," he said, and the tall man turned, his brows drawn up.

"Are you talking to me?"

"If you'll excuse us, maybe we can pay and things can move along so you can get your damn table," Lovino said impatiently, glaring upward. Both Antonio and the pregnant woman stepped forward then, and when the confrontational man took an intimidating step toward the Italian, Lovino breezed past him and placed his bill on the counter, as well as the money he had in his hand.

But before he could ask the distracted hostess for his change, the man crowded up to him. "Or you could mind your own damn business." He walked forward, pointing an accusing finger at Lovino. "You shouldn't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. Someone might cut it off."

The woman bit her lip and grabbed his arm. "Why don't we just go somewhere else..."

He violently threw his arm back, shaking off her hand, and she stumbled backwards, arms curling protectively around her stomach. The crowded entryway where people stood and stared like spectators at a zoo froze, and Antonio moved quickly, steadying her before she could fall. He tensed as the rough sound of flesh on flesh erupted behind him and Antonio turned swiftly, ready to attack, only to stare in amazement as the big creep reeled back against the front podium from Lovino's blow. The hostess squeaked and jumped back as it wobbled dangerously, and the brute cradled his jaw, eyeing Lovino with a greater surprise than Antonio. For his part, Lovino rubbed his fist achingly, his teeth clenched.

"You little piece of shit!" the man growled, trying to punch Lovino back, but the small Italian had obviously been in fights before and was adept at dodging the punches. Antonio, once the pregnant lady was steady on her feet and further back in the sea of people, tried to help, but the confusion in the crowd was difficult to get through.

"Lovino!" he shouted, but it was like he wasn't even heard.

Someone called for the security guard, and Antonio sighed in relief as an even bigger guy in a black shirt came in. The crowd parted for him, and he pulled the two of them apart. "If you're gonna fight, do it outside." He propelled both men to the door, and then, contrary to his words, stood there until it looked like they wouldn't fight back.

Antonio looked back at the counter, where Lovino's money was. That would be enough for both of their meals, and he could pay him back after, so he quickly ran out the door, not wanting Lovino to be alone with that guy. Lovino did not seem ready to back down, though Antonio had curled a hand around his wrist and attempted to pull him off in another direction. "Treat a mother with some fucking respect, you filthy pig," he spat. With the blatant, raw emotion in his voice, Antonio could hear the slightest hint of an accent creeping through.

The man was rubbing his jaw, and held out his middle finger. "Fuck you." He spat.

Antonio grabbed Lovino's shoulders firmly, turning him around. "Come on, we're going." They didn't need any more trouble that night. Thankfully, with one last look to the man, Lovino turned around and started walking away.

"Fucking coward prick," Lovino snarled under his breath, his body practically vibrating with fury. After a time, the words streaming from his mouth took on a more obvious rolling Italian sharpness and Antonio could no longer understand what he was saying. Absentmindedly, Lovino brought a bleeding knuckle to his mouth and began to suck on it.

Antonio quickly grabbed the hand, looking at where the skin had split open. By the looks of it, he had gotten in more than the one hit. "Look, I'm not saying that that bastard didn't deserve it, but you can't just go around punching guys bigger than you."

"The _fuck _I can't," Lovino said, hissing at what must have been a very sharp stinging pain. They stopped in the doorway of a small cafe and Lovino's face twisted in a grimace as the adrenaline began to fade and the pain came on strong. He flinched when Antonio gently prodded the bruised knuckles around the split skin.

"Well what if the next guy is a better fighter? If this guy had landed a hit, you would have been done for." He let go of the hand for now. "Don't lick it, there are tons of germs in the human mouth. But nothing is broken. Do you have disinfectant at your house? Bandages? Anything like that?"

"Of course I do," Lovino growled, holding his hand protectively against his chest. He stalked in the direction of his home along the sidewalk, lit up by streetlamps and shop windows. "It doesn't matter if there's another fucking guy, or if he gets a hit. It was the only way to get his fucking attention, and nobody else was doing a thing to stop him. Bunch of sick fuck spectators." He spat. "Where was that fuckass guard then?"

Antonio rolled his eyes. If he thought Lovino had a mouth on him before... "He was at the door. Probably didn't know what was happening until all the commotion with the fight." There was silence for a minute, and then the Spaniard smiled. "I never knew you were the hero type, though. Gotta admit, it's kinda hot."

"I will skin your fucking hide," Lovino all but snarled, shoving Antonio with his good hand.

When they reached his place, Lovino fumbled awkwardly with his house key, as his dominant hand was out of commission, and pushed his way in, headed straight for the bathroom. Antonio followed him in, raising an eyebrow when Lovino glared at him for it and opened his mouth to protest. "Hey, chill, alright? I'm not the guy you had a fight with. And besides, how do you plan on wrapping your own hand?"

"Fairly well," he grumbled, digging around under the sink to procure a bottle of antiseptic and a roll of gauze and tape. "With practice."

"Right." Antonio grabbed them from him and rolled his eyes. "Luckily for you, I've taken a first aid course. Now sit down and don't argue."

The sullen Italian glared for a long moment before finally, he planted his ass on the bathroom counter, glaring sulkily at the shower as Antonio took his hand and ran it under the cold water tap.

He dried it off and applied the antiseptic. As he was wrapping his hand, he looked up at Lovino, who was pointedly not looking back at him. Antonio smiled at that. When he finished putting the bandage on, he leaned forward and kissed the back of Lovino's hand.

Bristling, Lovino jerked his hand away and glared at the grinning Spaniard. "What the hell-"

"It's not a date, so I only kissed your hand." Antonio said with a bright smile.

Lovino kicked at him halfheartedly, an easily dodged attack, and to Antonio's surprise his face was relaxed. Not smiling, but comfortable.

So Antonio stood up from his crouched position, and put his hands on the counter on either side of Lovino's legs. "Unless you want me to kiss you on the lips?" he said, only half joking. With Lovino's mood changes, it was hard to tell how he would react sometimes.

"It wasn't a date," the Italian replied coolly, staring him boldly in the eye. "So you can't."

He chuckled, leaning just a little bit closer. "Well, because of your fight, you did end up paying for the whole thing. So, technically, until I pay you back, it was a date." Besides, Antonio considered it a date anyway. Their second date, as a matter of fact.

"It wasn't a date," Lovino growled softly, his eyes following Antonio carefully as the Spaniard neared. He was so close that Lovino's breath, warm with wine and tomatoes and oregano, drifted over his mouth. He was so close, close enough that if he was in the mood to tease, his nose could have bumped right up against Lovino's, and actually, he was just a bit interested in the face Lovino might make if he did. But something guarded and hot in those eyes told him that it was not the time, and if he did, the spell would be broken.

"It sure felt like a date..." Antonio whispered, his green eyes half closed. Lovino wasn't pulling away, but he wasn't moving forward either. So the Spaniard took the responsibility in his own hands, leaning forward, and lightly pressed their lips together. Lovino did not move, but he wasn't uncomfortably tense, so Antonio stroked the Italian's wrists with his thumbs and pressed another kiss to his mouth, soft and gentle, and ever so slightly, Lovino's lips parted and he offered a kiss in return. Antonio smiled into the kiss, and slowly eased Lovino's mouth open some more. He licked the soft lips, and he was just about to press in closer, when Lovino released his mouth and his hands slipped from Antonio's, moving to the Spaniard's chest. Gently but insistently, he pushed. "No. We're just fucking friends."

The Spaniard opened his eyes. "Fuck friends?"

Surprisingly, Lovino just snorted and pushed him back. "You're a persistent bastard. No. We're just friends, remember? So back up and go make some coffee or something. I'm going to shower."

Antonio sighed and scratched the back of his head as he left the bathroom. "You don't know what you're missing. I'm a mediocre friend, but I'm an amazing lover." Well, at least he wasn't going to be kicked out of the house. Maybe he could sleep on a couch or something.

Unfortunately, when Lovino came from the shower, he was not as naked as Antonio had allowed himself to hope. Though he had to speculate if Lovino even owned pajamas- the man was dressed in a polo and old, pleasantly tight jeans. It seemed to be as casual as he got while clothed.

He held out a mug of black coffee. "Here you go, your highness. Will there be anything else?"

Lovino sniffed and gave Antonio the eye. "You make halfway decent coffee, I'll give you that," he mumbled around the rim of his mug, sipping delicately.

"So how's your hand? Does it still hurt?" Antonio looked at the bandage, it looked like Lovino had wrapped it in something before going in the shower so it wouldn't get wet.

"Of course it does," he said, resting a hip against the counter. "That bastard had a hard fucking face. I should have used my left hand. It's going to be a bitch trying to work with this."

Antonio smiled as he sipped his coffee. "At least you didn't break anything. I'm sure it'll be all better after tomorrow. Just don't pick at the scabs." There was no reason that he should scar his pretty little hands.

"I've been in fights before," Lovino said with a roll of his eyes. "I know the damn etiquette. Shut up and drink your coffee. Pretentious bastard..."

He sipped more of the dark liquid. "So, why are we drinking coffee so late? Unless it was just an excuse to keep me here longer."

"Oh, that must be it," the Italian said with a little smirk and set the mug down. He shrugged his shoulders. "I have work to do, so I need the energy. And our not-date was cut short. If I don't keep you around for a bit, you'll come up with some punk-ass excuse to nag at me until we do something else some other time this week. This way you can be satisfied and not bother me later. See? I'm one thoughtful son of a bitch."

Antonio grinned, swirling his coffee around. "It's funny you think that I won't bother you. You seemed to like our texts, after all."

"I do not!" he denied vehemently, sticking his nose skyward. "It's obnoxious and distracts me from my work."

"Then why do you keep texting back?" Antonio took the last gulp of his coffee and put the mug in the dishwasher. It was amazing how quickly he had become comfortable with this house.

"Because I'm polite as shit," he said simply, eyeing the Spaniard thoughtfully. "Can't say the same for you. You barely calm your fucking ass down when I ask you to, and you can't seem to take a hint. Were you dropped on your head as an infant?"

Antonio chuckled at that. "Maybe I was, but I made up for it by being the cutest baby in the world. I'll show you a picture some time. I could even work a diaper."

He gestured thoughtfully to his lower half and glanced up at Lovino, who looked for all the world like a man about to break in half for the laughter he was holding in. Lovino met Antonio's eyes, and he could not seem to help himself. The Italian had to place his mug down on the counter top, as it was nearly upended from the raucous laughter that shook his entire body.

"You're so fucking weird," he accused, wiping a tear from his eye and shaking his head once the peals had receded.

"Anything to make you laugh, babe." Antonio grinned and watched Lovino laugh, disappointed as he slowly calmed down. But there was still a smile playing across his lips, which was a rare treat.

Lovino jumped slightly as his phone went off and awkwardly, he pulled it out and began fiddling with it in his left hand. He went quiet for a moment, and it was only when he realized that Antonio was watching him type that he piped up. "I have movies and music or whatever by the TV if you want to go find something to do."

But the brunet just shook his head. "I think that watching you is much more entertaining." It was interesting that Lovino seemed to want to keep him there. He would have thought that as soon as he was no longer needed the Italian would be pushing him out the door.

Lovino rolled his eyes, just as predicted, and turned his back on Antonio. "Pick a damn movie," he said over his shoulder.

He sighed and went to the TV. There were a lot of DVDs, typical things any man would own. Most were action, with many cars and explosions and guns. Strangely, he saw a few documentaries. One was on weapons, one was on the Mafia, Antonio snorted on the one about wine. Definitely wouldn't want to watch that. There were a few movies that he had never even heard of before. Well, they would be good as any.

That was... strange. It looked like Lovino had mixed up the cases, because on the DVD it said _Moonstruck_. Wait, wasn't that like a chick flick? Antonio lifted an eyebrow and looked up at all the cases. He couldn't see this one anywhere... did that mean that it was hidden on purpose? Could that mean... Oh god, did Lovino have a bunch of chick flicks hidden in other cases?

Within five minutes, Antonio had looked in almost every single case. Most of them were just what they said they were, but a good ten percent of them were definitely girly movies. _Gone With the Wind, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle_, and the whole _Titanic _set. There also appeared to be a few that were in Italian, but still looked pretty girly.

"What are y- Antonio! What the fuck!" Lovino stood, bright red and rigid in the doorway, his ears bright red. "You couldn't just pick a damn movie, no, you had to keep... looking!"

He chuckled, picking up the _Titanic_. "Not my fault, the first one I picked turned out to be a chick flick. And then I got curious. I can't believe you watch this stuff! It's so cute!" Not to mention, with the _Titanic _being so long which, if he played his cards right, meant that he could stay with Lovino for _hours_.

"It's... it's not cute, I just have a wide range of tastes, is all." The younger man rubbed the back of his neck and glared at the wall. "And those films are classics, so if you make fun of them, I'll kill you."

"You misunderstand. I'm not making fun of them; I love them! Just wouldn't pick you for a romance buff." Antonio turned the TV on and put the DVD in. "Are you gonna watch it with me?" he asked, patting the couch beside him.

Cautiously, Lovino stalked over and scrutinized Antonio's bemused face for a moment before scoffing and dropping down onto the sofa beside him. "I'm working, too," he said, pulling the phone from his pocket.

Pressing play, he leaned back in the couch. "No problem, as long as I'm not watching it alone." It had been many years since Antonio had seen this movie, so this should be nice.

As the film slowly began to progress, Antonio noticed Lovino mutter things occasionally under his breath, oddly in sync with the film, uttered low in cadence. It was only ten minutes in when he cocked his head to the side and blinked in realization. Lovino was mumbling the film line for line. How many times must he have watched the movie to know the script? The Italian looked up when Antonio began to laugh, his brow furrowed. "What?"

"Tell me, is it the love, or the hundreds of people dying in freezing water that makes you like this movie so much?" He suspected it was a little bit of both, actually. Maybe that was what made the movie so famous, the beauty and horror of it.

"Shut up!" Lovino growled nudging him in the side with his elbow and glaring at the screen. "I just like everything, okay? I like cinematography based on true events. I like a fucking tragedy."

He chuckled at that, looking at Lovino sideways. "And is that why you have _Moonstruck_?"

"Yeah, well, _Steel Magnolias _ballances every sweet one out. That shit is heartbreaking. Shut up, stop laughing, watch the fucking movie!"

Still laughing a little, Antonio looked back to the (huge) TV. About half way through the movie, he was regretting picking such a long one. He had woken up fairly early that morning for church - because he was a good Christian gay boy - and had to work in the morning. Really, it couldn't be helped as his eyes began to droop. Kate Winslet was just getting naked when he succumbed to the heavy pull of sleep and slumped over, his head lolling at the back of the couch. Lovino didn't notice that he'd fallen asleep, so attached was he to the incoming data on his phone, until a gentle snore rumbled from Antonio's direction. He turned, a brow quirking in vague amusement.

That amusement quickly dissipated when Antonio's head fell on his shoulder. Lovino frowned down at him, wondering if he should shake him off. It wasn't like he was being very bothersome, and he only snored every once in a while. Plus, if he was sleeping, then he wasn't talking.

Trying to make himself comfortable with the dozing menace on his shoulder, Lovino noticed only too late that his actions had consequences. Antonio's head began to slip, and Lovino scrambled to catch him on the way down. Grumbling lightly to himself, he eased the idiot's head down until he was slumped over Lovino's lap, shoulders and all, and the Italian huffed. "You're a heavy bastard, you know that?" Looking down, he grimaced. Antonio's position, half on, half off the couch with his body contorted like that just seemed awkward and uncomfortable. "Hey," he mumbled, ruffling Antonio's hair. "Hey. Get up or lift your legs, idiot."

The Spaniard made a sleepy sound, and it seemed like he didn't even wake up as he lifted both his legs onto the couch, cuddling up even more in Lovino's lap. The Italian could almost picture him sucking his thumb, laying like he was.

"Stupid baby," he sighed, glancing over to make sure the idiot was situated before he rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck and lifted his phone to continue working long into the night.

As the credits song came on, he looked up to the TV. Well, what was he supposed to do now? Could he somehow get off the couch without waking up the sleeping bastard? Lovino wasn't about to sleep on the couch when his own bed was nice and comfy.

"I'm not sleeping on the couch when my bed is nice and comfy," he reiterated, his voice coming out a bit softer than planned.

Which, of course, did nothing to wake Antonio. He sighed and turned the TV off. And, for some reason, _that_ was what woke him up.

Antonio lifted his head, blinking dreamily. "Wh-what time is it?" Did he really fall asleep on Lovino's lap? And wasn't pushed off? Damn, maybe this was a dream.

"Time for you to take yourself home like a responsible adult," Lovino said, sending one last email off for the night.

He scratched his sleep-messy hair and shook his head. "You're not serious. I'll sleep on the couch, alright?" He pushed himself up so that he was no longer on Lovino, letting him get up. "I'll leave in the morning, I promise, just let me sleep here tonight. Please?" Antonio did his best to give a puppy dog face, but it might not have worked because he was still half asleep.

Giving him a dry glance, Lovino rolled his eyes. "Did you really think I'd kick you out? You've already proved to me that you're a child, so I wouldn't feel right letting you out on your own. Too dangerous." He nodded in the direction of the hall. "There's a guest room. Knock yourself out."

Groaning, Antonio literally rolled off the couch. "Thanks. Any hopes for a goodnight kiss?" He smirked, looking over his shoulder, not even waiting for an answer before he walked to the guest room. Antonio collapsed into the bed that was very neatly made and snuggled under the covers, blinking his eyes open only when Lovino's voice came passing by from the hall outside. "Make a full pot in the morning before you go. And if you wake me up, I'll shave your damn head the next time you fall asleep in my presence."

.oOo.

Antonio woke up fairly early the next morning, and rolled around in the bed for a minute before getting up. It was uncomfortable sleeping in his clothes, but it wasn't like it was the first time. He went out, and made a pot of coffee, hardly even thinking about it.

He considered showering for a moment but ultimately decided against it. He had to go home to change clothes regardless; he might as well bathe there, as well.

When the coffee finished brewing, he got down two mugs. He poured one for himself, but left the other empty. Antonio drank his own, and hoped that Lovino would come down before he finished. When he didn't, the Spaniard opted for the next best thing. He looked for a sticky note, and wrote on it a simple, _Good morning! _He washed out his mug, and then left for home.

.oOo.

Lovino was not going to give Antonio a key.

It didn't matter how many times a week he ended up coming over, occasionally spending the night, and for how many weeks the pattern had continued. It didn't matter that it made it easier for the idiot to come in first and make dinner so that they didn't have to go out all the time for food (the bastard was ridiculously persistent in wanting quality time- Lovino had to wonder how many other friends Antonio latched onto so fiercely. "Not going to demand your time" his ass). It didn't matter that he had an extra sitting in his bedside drawer from a pair that he'd replicated for Feliciano and when Mama was in town.

And it certainly did not matter that Antonio had brought an extra toothbrush and a few shirts and put them in the spare room. He hadn't asked to or anything, hadn't even told Lovino about it, and Lovino probably wouldn't even have noticed if it wasn't for the fact that once a week he cleaned the attached bathroom meant for Feliciano. But he wouldn't give him a spare key, he just wouldn't.

Except... the one night, when he had been working late, and it had been raining, and he had come home to find Antonio sitting on his doorstep completely soaked... well, maybe he could leave the key in a fake rock or something. It wasn't for Antonio, who knew when someone would need to get into his house when he wasn't there? Feliciano could lose his own key and not realize it until he got there. It wasn't just for Antonio.

He hustled the Spaniard inside and instructed him to stand on the tile in the doorway, ranting and raving all the way to the bathroom and back with a towel that he tossed at Antonio's head. "You could have waited in the cafe down the street!" he barked.

"It's fine, I knew you would be home soon." Antonio said, chuckling as he dried his hair off. His clothes were another matter though, and there was no way Lovino was about to let him any further in the house with wet clothes. And sure enough, the Italian wrinkled his nose at the sopping wet, bedraggled man before him.

"You're fucking hopeless, you know that?" And with a tetchy little click of his tongue, Lovino gestured at him. "Take off your clothes and get in the shower. I'll get these dried. You can wear... I dunno..n. something."

He really should have anticipated the smirk that went on Antonio's face. "Well, if you say so." He pulled his wet shirt over his head, and Lovino's eyes went wide as his chest and stomach was revealed. Damn... if he'd had too many muscles, Lovino could laugh it off, but it was just the right combination of lean and abs. But then Antonio went for his fly as well.

Turning abruptly, Lovino disappeared into the kitchen. "Dump your soggy-ass clothes in the laundry room," he called out, more or less sticking his head into the pantry to keep his eyes away from the hallway.

A few minutes later, the sound of the shower was heard. Lovino sighed in relief and went to go put the clothes in the wash. Damn, that idiot...

All of the ingredients were spread out over the counter-top by the time Antonio waltzed into the kitchen in Lovino's oversized sweatpants and a dark t-shirt. Lovino took one glance at him and snorted. "You couldn't have picked something classy?"

"We're not going out, so what's the point? Besides, most of your stuff doesn't fit me." And he only had shirts and underwear stashed here. Antonio leaned against the counter, looking at everything. "So, what are we making?"

"Pasta. You should still dress to impress, you know," Lovino chided as he pushed a small bowl of fresh tomatoes and a knife into Antonio's hands. "It's important to look sharp. Dice those and mince this garlic when you're done."

He looked at the knife, deciding he wanted a bigger one. Antonio reached across the table, lightly putting his hand on Lovino's shoulder as he did. "You Italians always make pasta. What about pizza?"

"What about your head on a platter?" Lovino growled, bumping against Antonio with his hip. His hands were full with a knife of his own and a small block of cheese. "We're having pasta because I say so. And not to feed the stereotype, but my family is full of pasta gods. Mama taught Feli and I, and you know what? That bastard is even better than I am."

"All the more reason for you to make something else. No need to be second best at pasta when you can be number one at something else." Even so, he kept chopping the tomatoes. "How does your brother cook? Wouldn't that be difficult?"

Lovino snorted, grating the thick white cheese into a bowl. "He's got his own little system. Knows where all of his stuff is, and he's very good with portion sizes. But he's not totally calculating. He's spontaneous and he makes everything just perfectly. He's a fucking wonder child."

Antonio rolled his eyes a little at that. "It's amazing how you can feel both inferior to your brother, and completely overprotective of him at the same time. But I know how you feel about me talking about Feliciano, so I'll shut up now."

"I don't feel inferior, dammit!" Lovino cried indignantly. He tossed a piece of cheese at Antonio's face. "I just know when I'm beat, is all. And I'm proud of him."

"It's not just about the food." Antonio said, leaving it at that. It bugged him how Lovino would make those little comments, showing how he thought everyone liked his brother better than him. But Lovino didn't want them to be more than friends, so it wasn't really his place to say so.

"Whatever. Leave some of the tomatoes uncut. I like to eat them while I wait for the noodles to cook. Actually, hit me." He held out a hand, though his eyes remained trained on the stove as he began to heat the pot of water.

Unable to resist, Antonio hit the hand in a high five. Lovino practically glared at him. "Hey, you said it!" But he still handed over a plump tomato with a silly little grin.

Lovino scowled for a second longer as he sank his teeth into the bright red flesh before sprinkling salt into the pot. Antonio looked around, and saw a trendy, slim little black radio above the microwave. He reached over and turned it on, smiling as one of his favorite songs came on. While cutting the tomatoes, he swayed around a bit to the music, mostly wiggling his butt. And almost without thinking, Lovino stuck the tomato in between his teeth and reached out, swatting Antonio's ass. "Knock it off, you freak," he groaned. "You're not a girl."

The Spaniard jumped a little, and looked over at him. "Oh, getting kinky now? Did you like that? Do it again." He exaggerated the part by sticking his butt out some more and moving it around.

Quirking an eyebrow, Lovino scoffed and focused on demolishing the fruit in his grasp. "Once was enough, thanks. I'll have to get my hand decontaminated now."

"Aw, you know you liked it." Antonio said, grinning. Man, did he really need this many tomatoes for sauce? It was almost like he was going to feed a whole army. The Spaniard glanced at him, looking thoughtful. Then he jumped back with a cry. "Ow! Fuck!" He clutched his finger, dropping the knife on the table.

"What? What happened?" Lovino was at his side in an instant, grabbing Antonio's wrist and making him still. He examined the hand thoroughly and with caution. Then he frowned.

A slow grin spread over Antonio's face. "Just kidding."

"Fuck!" Lovino cried, dropping Antonio's hand and punching him in the shoulder, scowling even as the Spaniard stumbled back and rubbed it dramatically. "Fucking asshole. You scared me!" Then he kicked at him.

Antonio couldn't stop laughing, even as he was kicked. "Aw don't be mad! A harmless joke, I swear!" He blocked against a halfhearted hit, and Lovino stopped. "But it was cute how concerned you were for me."

"I wasn't...!" Lovino huffed, his ears and cheeks dusted over with red. "Fuck you. And if you ever do anything like that again, I'm kicking you out of my house."

He laughed again, turning back to the cutting board. "Alright, I don't wanna turn into the boy who cried wolf. And I give you free reign for getting me back with a prank of your own."

"You'll wake up bald, if I get my way, I fucking swear it," Lovino grumbled, shuffling back over to his station. Tiny bubbles had finally begun to sprout at the bottom of the pan and he took a box of noodles out of the cabinet in preparation.

"Aw, but then I wouldn't be as pretty." Antonio said with an exaggerated pout. He finished off the last tomato, and started on the garlic, which smelt up the whole kitchen. There would be no kissing tonight with this stuff, that was for sure.

"Please," Lovino snorted. "I think it'd be an improvement. That unruly mop you have going there is so adolescent."

He actually snorted at that. "Oh, and what about you? You have this one curl that's longer than the rest, just hanging in front of your face! It's even there when you just get out of the shower!"

"It's genetic!" came Lovino's defensive retort. "I'm well-fucking-groomed, thank you very much. Unlike some people."

"It takes me a long time to put together this just-got-out-of-bed look, actually." Antonio said, standing tall and flipping one of his random curls.

"Oh, I'm sure. So much tossing and turning at night goes into that look. And what, do you keep hairspray on you just to make sure it's kept intact?"

"Aw, that's mean," Antonio said, laughing. "So would you rather I slick it back like Ludwig?"

Lovino gave him a look so disgusted that Antonio could not even attempt to keep a straight face. "This was a halfway pleasant evening until you mentioned that bastard."

He laughed, just as he finished up the garlic. "Why do you hate him so much? I mean real hate. You pretend to hate people, get annoyed by a lot of people, but you really hate Ludwig. Is it because your brother likes him?"

"Yes. No! No, it's just..." He lightly kicked the cabinet and scowled into the simmering pot. "That asshole is all Feli ever talks about anymore. You'd think they were fucking or something."

Antonio made a humming sound. Then he put down his knife, and looked at Lovino with a grin. "Maybe they are."

"That's what I had thought, but I've been watching, and that bigass fucking Kraut barely gives him the time of day!" Lovino turned to Antonio, his face contorted in frustration. "Feliciano talks like he's so special, but he's just as distant and professional as he always was. My idiot brother is setting himself for heartache, and... I fucking hate it."

That made the Spaniard pause. "You know, I've worked with Ludwig for almost four years now. I wouldn't say we're friends, because he doesn't really have friends, I don't think. But sometimes, when he is around your brother, he gets the same look on his face that he gets when he's with the dogs, and he loves the dogs. I don't think you should worry about him hurting Feliciano's feelings."

After a moment, Lovino made a noncommittal noise and shook the spaghetti from the box into the cheerfully bubbling pot. "He just... he gives so much of himself to everyone he knows and loves." Lovino broke the box down and shoved it into a little recycling bag. "And he gets hurt so often because he's the kindest thing in the world, and in comparison, everyone else is shit. He doesn't deserve to be hurt so much."

"Neither do you," Antonio said without even thinking about it.

Lovino's shoulders visibly tensed and he would not meet Antonio's eyes. "We're not talking about me," he mumbled as the noodles slowly slid down into the bubbling water as they grew flimsy with moisture beneath the surface. "Anyway, his training should be over in the next month or so, so it probably won't be an issue for much longer. Tomato." He held out a hand.

"A whole one? 'Cause I cut them all up." Would Lovino really want to eat two tomatoes while he was cooking? That seemed a little weird, even to Antonio, who loved tomatoes.

"The bowl then!" He turned stony eyes to Antonio. "I need my fix."

He pushed the bowl over, grabbing a few of the bigger chunks for himself. "Well, is there anything else you want me to do? I make an amazing garlic bread."

"Oh, fuck yeah," Lovino said. "I've got some French bread above the fridge. Go nuts." He stirred the noodles with a wooden spoon.

Antonio grabbed it and started mixing up the garlic butter. "So, if I weren't here, what would you be doing right now? Working?" He likely would be. It was never a good thing when a workaholic could do his work from home.

"Probably," Lovino said, confirming the thought. "I mean, I live alone, I don't have any pets, I've seen every movie I own enough times to have memorized them all, and there's no shooting range in town. What the fuck else am I supposed to do? Besides, this is how I support the pathetic, but classy lifestyle I've grown accustomed to."

At that, Antonio turned around, wide eyed. "Oh my god... you should get a puppy!" he exclaimed, looking ecstatic. "You should so get a puppy! I could refer you to some good breeders, tell you all about the different breeds, teach you how to train him, you should totally get a puppy! Then you would never be lonely!"

Lovino sniffed petulantly. "I'm more of a cat person. Besides, I don't have the _time _for a dog." He stirred the noodles with a stubborn frown etched on his face. "Dogs are like relationships. You have to love them and nurture them, or they start to feel neglected. I travel a lot for business. It wouldn't be fair."

"Aw, but my landlord won't let me have pets! I come over here enough anyway, and during the day, I could take him to work and put him in a kennel with the other dogs. A bunch of other trainers do it. Please?" He looked at Lovino with big pleading eyes. "I know you would love having a dog."

"No means no!" Lovino said with a stern, ferocious glare. "Fucking hell, do you just have some sort of fucking hearing deficiency? No. Now make that damn bread before I stick _you _in the oven."

Antonio pouted and worked on the garlic toast, while thinking at the same time that this wasn't the end of this. He really thought that Lovino could benefit from having a dog, because that way he would have a constant companion.

When the noodles were finished, Lovino drained the pot and stirred in the sauce, tomatoes, and garlic, a rich, delicious scent drifting up from the pot just as Antonio popped the bread into the oven.

"That won't take long. So why don't you want a dog? Your brother is getting a dog." A very nice dog, actually. Ebony was one of their only Chows, since it wasn't a normal breed for working dogs, but she was very nice.

"Yeah, well, my brother can't see, and he can't stand to be alone for long. I'm hoping that this will cut down on the shitty boyfriends." Lovino stuck a fork in the pot and twirled it expertly before popping the pasta in his mouth for a little taste.

Antonio rolled his eyes, sitting down on a stool. "Well, I think you would like a dog. I could find a really affectionate lap dog for you, he'll love you no matter what. And then, if you want a hug and I'm not around, you can hug him instead!"

"The fuck does that even mean?" Lovino thumbed a bit of sauce from the side of his mouth and sucked it off. "We don't hug. Never consensually, anyway. And I told you, I like cats."

The taller man shrugged. "Well, you know that I'm always open for a hug." He held out his arms in an invitation.

Lovino snorted. "Don't kid yourself. Grab me a couple of plates and I'll dish this up."

He got two down and put them beside the stove. "One day, you'll hug me freely. And kiss me and everything that comes after. Just wait and see, no one can resist me forever," Antonio said with a slightly egotistical smirk.

The look Lovino shot him was pure murder. "First time for everything, as they say. Shut up and set the table. Wine's in the fridge. Don't. Say a word."

"I wasn't going to say anything. I think I've expressed enough times how funny your obsession with wine is." Once he had brought over a case of beer and had been shooed from the house to return it and get wine. Still, Antonio grabbed the white wine and two glasses.

"A glass a day is good for the heart," the Italian insisted, nodding when Antonio gestured toward the table with the bottle. "Two must be twice as good."

Antonio started pouring it, chuckling a little. "I don't think it works that way, somehow." Then he took out the garlic toast, and they started eating. The sauce was wonderful, and Antonio didn't think that Feliciano could do much of a better job.

Halfway through, and only just into Lovino's first glass, they both paused and looked at each other in mild confusion. Antonio blinked and Lovino frowned. "Was that you or did someone knock on the door?"

They both heard the dreamy voice that came from the front door. "Lovi~ Ve, let me in please! I lost my key again."

"Shit!" Lovino's thighs bumped against the table startlingly as he rushed to stand. "Coming, coming, hold your horses," he barked in the direction of the door, grabbing Antonio in passing and jerking him up from the table. "Shut up," he hissed, pulling Antonio urgently toward the coat closet. "Shut up shut up and don't make a noise, just get in!"

"But I'm still hungry..." Antonio protested, managing to grab a piece of garlic toast from the counter on his way to the closet. "Why do you care? It's just your broth-" But the door was shut in his face, and he was surrounded by darkness.

Lovino hastened toward the front door, fumbling with the locks before throwing it open to face his cheerful brother. "You didn't call, Feli," he grunted. Feliciano held out a hand and Lovino took it, tugging him gently inside.

He toed off his shoes, putting them on the shoe rack. Feliciano paused there for a moment, and Lovino could only see his back, but then he stood up. "Sorry, you never seem to mind. I just wanted to see you." He laughed, and tapped his sunglasses. "In a manner of speaking. I smell pasta!"

"Yeah, that's because I made some. You haven't eaten yet? Why haven't you eaten yet?" Lovino moved into the kitchen and heaped a plate high with spaghetti and bread.

"I had a late lesson with Ludwig. Do I smell like him? I can still smell the dog school for some reason. But I didn't smell it on myself outside..." Feliciano cocked his head to the side, walking around the room to see where the smell was stronger, trying to distinguish it from the smell of pasta.

Grabbing his wrist, Lovino made a noise of displeasure. "It's definitely you. I don't have a damn dog. They're too noisy and high-maintenance. And they need affection, of all the stupid things. Now come and sit down and eat some fucking food or I swear I'll steal all of your vintage wines in the night."

Feliciano just laughed it off, more than used to his brother's empty threats. "You can have as many bottles as you like. Grandpa filled it up with too many anyway." He went to go sit down on the extra chair, the chair that he always sat in, because Lovino always sat in the next chair. He reached in front of him and felt the plate that was already there. He looked in the general direction of his brother, smiling. "I'm sorry, you have someone over. Someone who smells like the school." Now the extra pair of shoes in the front hall made sense. They had felt too big and worn for Lovino.

The wine that Lovino had been previously sipping traveled very quickly and very painfully down the wrong pipe. He coughed and spluttered, ignoring Feliciano's hand on his back. "T-there's no one else here! I... I was just really fucking hungry, so I made two plates!"

The younger brother simply smiled. "You would have just gone up for seconds. And the shoes in the hall are too big for you, and it smells like dog in here. Are you two playing hide and seek? If you are, I think he's in the closet, because that's where it smells most like dog."

A quickly muffled laugh came from the closet.

"Shut _up_!" Lovino growled, burying his face in his hands. "Dammit, Feliciano, you're not supposed to sniff out people in my house."

He stood up, easily finding his way to the closet. "Why was he hiding?" Feliciano opened the closet door and reached out. "Hello."

Antonio grabbed his hand and shook it. "Hi Feli. Nice to see you."

Lovino mumbled something, toying with the food on his plate. "Better question is why he came in the first place," he grudgingly repeated when Feliciano drew near.

"Don't worry about the things he says, Antonio, my brother likes you or he wouldn't let you in the house." Feliciano said, walking back to the table. "Well, I'm going to leave and let you two get back to your date. I hope I didn't interrupt anything important." He felt like practically jumping in the air at the moment at the thought that his brother had found someone.

"What?" Lovino's gaze shot up at him in alarm. "You're not going anywhere until you've had something to eat. Plant your ass back down."

It didn't escape Antonio's notice that Lovino had forgotten to correct Feliciano's assumption. But he pulled up another chair and lead the younger brother to it. "Yeah, there is more than enough food. Feel free to stay and eat with us."

"Not that there's an 'us'," Lovino was hasty to amend, shooting a glare in Antonio's direction. "You'll need a shower, too. You reek worse than Antonio."

"Hey!"

Feliciano smiled and sat down, finally folding up his cane. "Well, alright. Ah, but I can shower at my house, I don't want to get between you two any longer than I have to. I guess I'm also covered in hair, right? I was with Ludwig and Ebony for almost two hours today. It was so fun! Ebony is such a smart puppy. Ludwig trained her so well."

"That thing is _not _a puppy," Lovino snorted as he took a sip of wine. "More like a small bear. It's scary as shit. Doesn't even wag its tail at you. Are you sure it isn't trained to kill as well?"

Antonio looked up from his plate. "For a working dog, Ebony is fairly small. And she's not trained to kill, but I think I did hear Ludwig training her to bark on command for some reason." That was definitely not a normal practice for them; normally they just trained them not to bark at all.

"He's so good with dogs," Feliciano hummed dreamily, taking a sip of wine himself. Lovino's expression turned a bit sour.

"It's his job, Feli."

"He loves them, too."

"Oh, he enjoys it. Give the man a medal for actually liking the thing he's paid to do."

The Spaniard laughed a bit. "You two are hilarious. So Feli, Lovino tells me that you're in art school, right? What kinds of things do you do?"

"Oh!" Feliciano sat up a little straighter, and when his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose and he pulled them off, Lovino gently took them without missing a beat. He laid them on the table away from the food before turning his attention to the food on his plate. "I paint and sculpt. Pottery, too. Just about anything I can get my hands on."

"That sounds nice. I'm not artistic at all, no talent to speak of, but I like looking at other people's work." Antonio spoke easily with the younger Italian. For the most part, Lovino was silent, and every once in a while Antonio glanced over at him with a smile.

"Lovi paints, too!" Feliciano said cheerfully, and Lovino turned a bit red, tilting his head down to avoid Antonio's eyes.

"Shut up, Feliciano."

"I mean, I don't know for sure, but I bet you they're very good. He used to hole up in his room for hours and do nothing but paint when we were little. Mama had to open the windows because she was afraid he might pass out." Feliciano beamed. "He let me do it, too, when we were little."

Antonio's smile grew at that. "Really? I would love to see them. And now that I know you paint, I won't stop until I see some of them." He would love to see some of Lovino's work. He didn't know much about art, but he could still appreciate it.

"Oh..." Feliciano bit his lip and Lovino's shoulders grew rigid. "Well, um, he can't-"

"Don't."

Feliciano grimaced. "Sorry."

When Antonio shot puzzled glances at the both of them, Lovino looked up. "It's none of your business. Leave it alone."

Knowing that tone, Antonio changed the subject. Lovino was still mainly not saying anything, so he spoke with Feliciano, asked him how the lessons were going with Ludwig, listened to him talk about Ludwig, and about how he couldn't wait to bring Ebony home.

"Ludwig is very patient with me," Feliciano said with a little wine-induced giggle. "He's so much better at teaching me than the others were. Right, Lovi?"

"Mmm," Lovino grunted, clearing the plates off the table and retreating into the kitchen.

Antonio nodded, a smile on his face. "Yeah, sometimes you have to be strict with the owners, and I don't think I would be able to be strict with you. You're just so nice, I would feel bad!" And he had to discipline little puppies.

"Ludwig's really nice, too, isn't he," Feliciano said with a little sigh. "He knows just what to say to make sure I do what I'm supposed to do. He never babies me. It's... nice. Very nice."

"Well, I'm not sure that nice would be the word I would use..." Antonio said. He would more likely uptight or strict, but in an innocent way. "But I'm glad you got a trainer that you like. It doesn't work well if you are uncomfortable with the person."

Feliciano's face blossomed with affection. "He always sounds so uptight, doesn't he? He's only really comfortable talking about dogs. But that's okay. He does very well, and he works hard. That's admirable. It's what Lovi always told me I should look for in a person. I don't know why he dislikes Ludwig as much as he does."

"Maybe Lovi's just jealous." Antonio laughed and glanced in the kitchen, to see Lovino's back as he washed the dishes. Antonio poured some more wine in his and Feliciano's glasses, absentmindedly wondering if the boy was old enough to drink.

"Probably," Feliciano said with a little grin of his own. "Mostly, I don't think Lovi knows what to do with himself when I don't come to him for every little thing. If more than a day goes by that I don't call, he thinks something terrible has happened to me."

Antonio laughed at that. "Yeah, I've noticed. Never even thought how it must feel from your side, having him worry about you all the time." It must be hard, having his older brother always checking up on him. Almost as hard as Lovino feeling he always had to protect his little brother.

"Oh!" Feliciano reached out, patting along the table until he found Antonio's wrist. His voice lowered. "It's not that I... I don't mind Lovi's protectiveness. I know he wants what's best for me. I just don't think he realizes that I'm not a little kid anymore."

He smiled and grabbed onto Feliciano's hand as well. "I understand. Trust me, he talks about you almost as much as you talk about Ludwig."

"Does he?" Feliciano laughed. "That's my Lovi. He does talk about other things too, doesn't he?"

Antonio glanced up into the kitchen to look at Lovino only to find that Lovino was looking right back. The older brother's eyes had landed on their hands, but when he noticed Antonio watching him, he hastily turned away.

Trying to act natural, Antonio pulled his hand away and clasped them under the table. "Yeah, he can talk about other things. But normally, there is at least one or two things about you in there. Oh well, just means he loves you, right?"

"Mmhmm." He yawned sleepily and rubbed at his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Half past eight," Lovino announced, walking into the room and wiping his wet hands on his pants. "Too late for you to go home. You can stay here tonight."

Feliciano shook his head, eyes fixed somewhere over Lovino's right shoulder. "No, I've interrupted you two for too long, I couldn't sleep over." A light blush covered his face, as well as a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, definitely time for bed. Come on, you lush. Let's get you some nightclothes."

As the two brothers left for Lovino's room, Antonio took the wine glasses to the kitchen and quickly washed them out. He didn't want to leave, at least not yet, he had to at least say goodnight to Lovino. For some reason, he hadn't liked the look in his eyes when he saw them holding hands.

Eventually, the golden-eyed young man finally made it out of the guest room, dark splotches of water all down his shirt, and half of his head was sopping wet. He grimaced when Antonio saw him. "The little bastard thought it'd be hilarious to try and drag me in with him. I need to go change."

Antonio laughed a little, and then even louder when singing was faintly heard from the room. "Well, at least he's happy, right?"

"Yeah." A little smile folded the corners of Lovino's lips upward, but he didn't quite meet Antonio's eye. "Your clothes are done drying, obviously, so you can... well, if you want to stay, there's still the couch, I guess, but you don't need to or anything."

"Thanks. Yeah, I'll probably go home. You know what Feliciano would think if I was still here in the morning." He shot a smile over his shoulder and went to the laundry room to grab his clothes.

Lovino followed him to the door, looking very ready to be anywhere but there, only meeting Antonio's eyes once in passing. "I'll be leaving tomorrow for Greece," he said, almost offhandedly. "So don't waste your time harassing me with texts. I won't be at your beck and call in the Mediterranean."

He lifted an eyebrow at that. "Oh, really? For work, I'm guessing? I hope you have fun. Take plenty of pictures, I'll ask to see them when you get back." Wow, Greece must be so beautiful this time of year. Antonio couldn't even imagine going to places like that.

"It's business, not pleasure," Lovino snorted, unlocking the door and holding it open. "The only good thing about it is the nap I'm going to take in the sun the minute we arrive."

Antonio put his dry clothes under his arm and nodded. "Doesn't mean you can't take pictures." He stood in front of the open door for a minute, before turning to Lovino and touching his wrist. "Is something wrong? You're acting too nice."

Lovino pulled back his arm and frowned. "I'm always nice," he grumbled. "Get out of my house."

The taller brunet snorted at that. Then, quickly, he leaned forward and kissed Lovino on the cheek. "Have fun in Greece, don't work too hard. And I'm still going to text you."

With that same odd confusion written on Lovino's face, he ducked away from Antonio and began to shut the door. "Yes, yes, fine, just go home!"

"And bring me a souvenir! Something cool like sand from a beach there!" Antonio called before the door shut with a _snap_. He grinned into the night, and began walking back home. Hopefully Lovino wouldn't be gone for long.


	3. Chapter 3

Though Antonio texted every day, practically every hour of the trip, Lovino found himself responding less and less. He had plenty of excuses, of course. Friends probably didn't text each other every minute of every day, and when he wasn't hard at work schmoozing with customers, he was getting his rest or nourishing his body. The fact that it just felt weird was not a particularly solid excuse, so he left that one in the distant corners of his mind.

He considered informing Antonio of his flight just before it took off, and then again he considered telling Antonio that he had returned once his plane touched the ground, but then he caught himself. What did it matter to Antonio? Probably too much. He'd probably come over or something. Lovino tucked the phone away in his pocket and forgot about it, more or less, even after he collapsed into his own bed after a week of starched hotel sheets and crisp comforters.

Of course, his phone was always the first thing he looked at in the morning, so it was no surprise as he grabbed it and saw that there were three new texts from Antonio. If he told him now, he would probably be texting even more during the day, asking to come over, probably even wanting to see him at lunch. He would be too busy that day, dealing with all the new customers he had landed on his trip, and everything from meetings and everything else. It would be easier to deal with if he didn't have Antonio on his mind all day.

Scratching the back of his neck, he tossed the phone atop his pillow and stumbled out of bed for a shower and coffee.

Lovino soaked up the precious few moments he had in the peace and quiet of his own home before trekking out for another hard day of work and only glanced down at his phone every half hour or so, contemplating.

There was one text that made him pause, right when he was heading home. Lovino looked at his phone and bit his lip.

Wednesday, 5:37 PM Antonio: _So when are you coming home?_

He looked across the street both ways before dashing across and shouldered his way into a pastry shop, buying up a cannoli and coffee before heading right back out onto the dark sidewalk. Sticking the pastry in his mouth, he texted his reply one-handed - _Already back_.

Lovino thought it strange that he didn't get a reply to that. Normally Antonio replied pretty fast. But oh well. He finished off the pastry as he got home, unlocking the door and put his things away.

He showered away the day's grime and the smell of the office and turned on the radio, curling up on the couch with his head on the armrest, lazily flipping through the pages of a novel he had read so many times that its pages were worn thin when the metallic click of a key in his front door broke through the little bubble of soft music and ticking clocks.

Then there were quick steps, and just as Lovino turned around on the couch, Antonio came in the room, looking almost surprised to see him in his own house. "Lovi! How long have you been home? Why didn't you tell me? I was waiting!"

Lovino frowned over the back of his couch. "I was busy," he said, flopping back down. "Besides, you're not my mother. And don't you have anything better to do than to wait for me?"

"But I missed you! Didn't you miss me? You were gone for over a week!" Antonio practically whined, coming over to the couch and leaning over the back to peek at him. "You should have told me. I was going through Lovi withdrawal. And you hardly even texted me."

"I was busy!" he repeated, glaring up at Antonio. "You may have all the time in the world, but I had to fucking brown-nose my way into partnering and millions of dollars and sometimes that gets a little exhausting and I don't just have copious amounts time to spare between sleep and work and eating."

He turned around and awkwardly flopped over the back of the couch so he was sitting beside Lovino. "Fine, so you didn't text me while you were there, but couldn't you have spared two seconds on the drive to the airport to tell me you were coming home? Or even when you got here? How long have you been back?"

"Just a day," he said, staring over at Antonio. "I knew you were going to do _something _ridiculous, so I didn't want to tell you until I was done with work for the next few days."

Antonio was still pouting though, not buying the story. "Is this about the last night you were here? About when I kissed you on the cheek? Or something to do with your brother? Did I do something wrong? Tell me what I did. Please?"

Lovino groaned and closed his eyes. "Look, it's just... weird for friends to need to tell each other every little thing that happens, okay? Damn. It doesn't have to have anything to do with anything."

The Spaniard looked ahead, around where the TV was. "But it's not a little thing that happened; it's you coming back from your trip. And... I know that you always say we're just friends, but I consider you more than a friend. Way more. As much more-than-friends as we can be without having sex."

"I am definitely not drunk enough for this conversation," Lovino grumbled. The look he gave to Antonio was tired. "Look, I know you're interested, but it just... it isn't going to happen, okay? So if what's keeping you so interested is this weird..." He gestured abstractly with his hands. "... hope that one day I'll sleep with you, then you need to rethink this entire damned thing."

"That's not the reason I stick around, as I've told you hundreds of times. But I really think we would be good together! You're the first person since college that I've actually wanted a real relationship with, Lovino, and since we've been friends this long, it's pretty obvious that we go well together. Why do you try to deny it?"

"Obvious?" Lovino's facial features did no justice to the level of bewilderment he felt. "What the fuck are you on? It's not... obvious! When have we ever... went together? For fuck's sake, I barely spoke to you for a week, and you need attention constantly. You're a people person, and I've never had a real friend in my entire life. All of my affection is spent on my brother, and you- you just crave that too much. You're barking up the wrong fucking tree. I do well on my own. I can't... I just don't fit with... people."

Antonio nodded quickly. "Exactly! You're horrible with people! Hardly anyone likes you! But I like you. I like you a whole hell of a lot, and I've stayed friends with you even though you constantly say that you don't want me here and shit, and even after everything, you started leaving a spare key in a really obvious fake rock. I'm the only one for you, don't you see? I like that you yell a lot, I like that you hardly text me back, I like that you... you, you call me an idiot, I like that stuff! You're never going to find someone else who likes that so you're stuck with me!" He was breathing a little heavily after getting that all out, stuff that had been spinning around in his head all week long, and finally he had gotten it all out.

Lovino blinked up at him slowly and then pushed himself up until he was sitting. He uncurled and refolded his body until his back was against the sofa and his hands were linked tightly beneath his bent knees. "And if you leave," he said quietly, "then there will be no one. And you know that so fucking well. Don't you get it, you fucking idiot?" He tapped his forehead against his knees. "So you'll stay, even when you're fed up, because you're too nice and then... you're the one who will be stuck with me. It's not the other way around."

He was silent for a long time, obviously astounded that Lovino had said something like that, something to do with how he really felt, instead of just pushing him away. He couldn't let this opportunity go now. "Look, Lovino... I'm not going to say that we'll be together forever, or that we're meant for each other, or anything about true love. But I can promise you that I will never be fed up. Once I decide I like someone, I always like them. I don't see a possible way that I could be fed up with you."

Lovino's body gave a little shake and he made a noise and it took Antonio a moment to realize that he had laughed. "Give it another month or so," he said, finally lifting his head to let it rest on the back of the sofa with a little sigh. Then he turned his head slightly to finally meet Antonio's eyes. "Do you want me to congratulate you or something for being the one who's pursued me for this long? What's it been, three months? Bravo. Your endurance is admirable."

"That doesn't matter to me. I knew I was attracted to you within like two seconds, I knew I wanted more than sex after the first night we went for drinks. But I hate this whole 'just friends' thing, it's killing me! I can touch you casually, but if I touch for too long you get mad. Sometimes I can kiss you, but not normally. I want to make some kind of commitment." Antonio clutched his hand into a fist without even really thinking about it. "I can't be in the middle like this. If you don't want to go out with me... we can still be friends, but I can't continue to be like this."

"Middle... What have we been doing that's... in between?" He frowned. "Look, I seriously think you might be underestimating the accuracy of what I'm saying when I tell you that I've never had... friends. I don't know what's- what's proper and what's not. I've been following _your _fucking example!"

Antonio's shoulders shook a little with humorless laughter. "You've been following my example when you know I've been trying to get you to go out with me? You didn't see the problem with that?"

"You're right. I'm an idiot for trusting that you might actually respect my wishes for once."

The Spaniard sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, looking down to the ground. "Look, I'm fine with giving you time and shit if you need to sort out your feelings or whatever. But, I need to know if there is a light at the end of the tunnel, or whatever. Do you have feelings for me? Do you see yourself dating me in the future at all? Or have I been imagining your feelings to make me feel better?"

Lovino blinked at him a little curiously. "Can you do that? No, never mind, I don't want to think about it." He rubbed his eyes tiredly and let a little sigh pass over his knees. "You know, I'm like this... all the time." Antonio received a very pointed stare. "I've been the way I am since I was born, and I'm not going to change. I'm not going to become spontaneously more genial or sweet, and I wouldn't be there at your beck and call, and I would still call you names and say hurtful things. I can't apologize to anyone who doesn't own a company associated with Grandpa's, and I get irritable when I don't have my alone time. I... I don't know how much space you want at any given time and I'm a fucking social disaster waiting to happen. I get anal about messes, because I don't like cleaning, but I hate it when things aren't tidy. I'm ten times more trouble than I'll ever be worth. My sweet ass isn't going to make up for everything that's wrong with me, you know."

Antonio looked up at him, and turned so one leg was up on the couch. "Alright, when did I ever say I wanted you to change? First," he held up one finger, counting off, "I think you are really sweet, you're just good at hiding it. I don't need you all the time, just some of the time, and I want you to know that I _will_ be at your beck and call. I consider all the mean names you call me to be pet names, so nothing wrong there. I don't need you to apologize, as long as I know you didn't mean it in the first place. I would be fine with giving you alone time if you need it, all you have to do is ask. The cleaning thing, alright, I may not be the tidiest person in the world, but I can clean. And," Antonio gently put his hand on Lovino's arm, rubbing it lightly. "I think you are a hundred times worth the trouble I might go through."

And confusion was written, clear as day, on Lovino's face as he looked down at Antonio's hand and then into his eyes. The tips of his ears were red. "I... um."

The Spaniard leaned forward a little, still not all the way, and his hand moved a little further up Lovino's arm. "I can also tell you that I'll never change. I'll always be a little flirty with everyone, I'll always push just a little farther to see what will break. And I'll always be somewhat manipulative." His hand slid to the back of Lovino's neck, touching the tips of his hair. "But... I'll always be yours... if you let me." Now his face was so close to Lovino's that he could feel his breath on his face, gold eyes staring into green. Lovino's eyelids dropped, just a bit, and Antonio moved forwards, their lips touching lightly, leaving enough room for Lovino to move back if he wanted to.

Lovino shifted, but hesitated at the last possible moment. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "I have... no self-confidence," he nearly whispered, fingernails dug snugly into the soft flesh of his own calves.

"That, we can fix," Antonio murmured, and pressed harder until they were most definitely kissing.

Lovino was rigid and unresponsive for a moment, but when Antonio gently squeezed his hand, he allowed himself to soften and open up, just slightly, to Antonio's advances.

With that, Antonio gave a sigh of relief, almost a sob after how long he had gone to even get this far. His hand at the back of Lovino's neck went up, his fingers running through the soft hair near the bottom of his skull.

Lovino shivered under the touch and he unlatched his nails from the abused flesh of his lower leg and curled them into Antonio's sleeve as he tilted his head just so, pressing a feather-light kiss to the corner of Antonio's mouth.

Antonio gave a breathless moan, after being pushed back for so long, this was like nothing he had ever imagined would happen. He kissed back, licking the crease of Lovino's lips until he parted them. Now was the part he was anxious about, because this was the farthest they had been. But even as he tilted his head a bit more, and eased his tongue into the Italian's mouth, Lovino seemed alright with it.

A sweet little noise bubbled up from Lovino's chest and he pulled back just slightly, his breaths light and quick and his eyes sharp. "So is this... are we... what happens now?"

He leaned his forehead against Lovino's, closing his eyes. "I really don't know. Normally I would take you to bed now, but I don't want to do that with you."

"Really?" Lovino blinked twice. His grip on Antonio's sleeve slackened and he hesitantly allowed his fingers to curl over Antonio's arm. "You... you think we can wait?"

Antonio smiled a little at that. "If you want. I'm letting you decide how fast we go, alright? I think it will be easier that way." Then he wouldn't go too fast and scare Lovino away.

"Oh. I. Fuck, okay." Lovino lifted his eyes to meet Antonio's. "You're being pretty damn sweet and considerate right now. It's weird."

He leaned back slightly and gave a bright smile. "Like I said, I'm fine with waiting for you as long as I know we have a future." Antonio put his hand on Lovino's knee lightly, just to be able to touch him. It made the poor thing jump. Lovino was very pointedly ignoring the hand on his knee and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, okay. I... I can swing that. Fuck, I can't remember the last time that's worked out, though. So how are we supposed to carry on from here? We don't, like... move in together, do we?" He frowned.

"Uh, no. Basically we keep doing the stuff we have been doing, but you don't push me away when I hug you unless you _actually _don't want to, and we can kiss. And when you're ready we... move on." Antonio wondered if there was anything he wanted to add. "Oh! And you tell me if anything is bothering you so I can make it all better."

"Make it better? What kind of bullshit is that?" One long, light finger circled Antonio's pulse idly. "You couldn't do anything about the stock market crashing or a partnership being terminated or a few hundred thousand being flushed for court cases. Those all bother me, but you won't be able to do anything about them."

He rolled his eyes a little. "I don't mean I'll fix it. I'll make it better. Make you feel better. Mostly for the emotional stuff that's bothering you, but I'm sure I could do something about the work stuff as well."

"Like what?" Lovino said with a skeptical little snort. "How could anything that isn't solving the problem make me feel better?"

"You've never had someone to really talk to about your problems, have you?" Antonio sighed, but shook his head. "Sometimes it's enough to tell someone instead of bottling it all up. But I can help you see that whatever trouble you have isn't the end of the world."

"You want me to talk out my feelings?" Lovino blinked. "That's... weird. Just weird. I can't... I don't know how to do that. That's not crucial, is it?"

Antonio smiled, and turned his hand around, grabbing Lovino's fingers. "Yeah, it is. But don't worry, we'll get to that point."

"Huh," Lovino grunted, just skeptical enough to make Antonio grin. A few seconds ticked by, and the track on Lovino's radio faded into the next, something slow with cellos and violins and the Italian took a breath. "So can we keep kissing, because I really fucking enjoyed that."

The Spaniard grinned, and just leaned forward and pressed their lips together. This was so wonderful he could hardly believe that Lovino was letting him do it.

And the Italian seemed to be nothing but complacent, brushing his lips over Antonio's with a hesitant tenderness that make Antonio's heart rise into his throat. Whatever he'd gotten himself into, it was bound to be good.

.oOo.

Feliciano was smiling as he and Ebony walked up the three steps to Lovino's house. His brother had finally agreed to let the dog come over, now that Feliciano could keep her between lessons with Ludwig. Lovino greeted him with kisses and pulled him inside. Ebony snuffled as she made herself acquainted with Feliciano's older brother.

"I'm sorry about how much she sheds. I brushed her a lot before we came over so that there shouldn't be too much hair." Feliciano smiled and took off his shoes, making a quick check to see if Antonio's shoes were there. He had called ahead, at least, so he shouldn't be interrupting anything.

"It's fine," Lovino said from the kitchen. "Have you eaten yet, Feli? Do you want something? I got some bruschetta and Mama sent me a care package. I still think she doesn't believe I know how to shop for myself."

He giggled and nodded. "She sent me one too. Mostly with things from her garden. So how was Greece? You used to say it was really beautiful there."

"Other than the shit economy? Fine. Same as ever." Lovino pulled the box out from the pantry and cracked it open. "I haven't even been able to try any of this, I've been so busy."

"Oh, I didn't know you were so busy. I'm sorry. Do you want me to do something?" In the kitchen, Feliciano felt safe letting Ebony's harness go, since he knew his way around here almost as much as his own kitchen.

"No, I've got this, don't worry about it. I just mean with work. I'm working from home for the rest of the week, so it's not as bad as usual. What do you want to drink?"

He sat down, scratching behind Ebony's ear a little. "Red wine please. Well hopefully it won't last very long. You don't want it to interfere with your love life." Feliciano grinned, happy to think of his brother in a good relationship. He heard Lovino clear his throat as one heavy bottle clinked against another.

"You're an idiot, Feli. If I even had a love life, I would never let it get in the way of my work."

"But you can't let your work get in the way of your love life, either. Lovi, you should let yourself have fun." Feliciano's hand moved over the table until he found Lovino's. "You work too hard. I worry about you, so don't work so hard, yeah?"

"You know I'm working to take over the company," Lovino sighed, patting his brother's hand. "I can't slack off now. But let's not talk about that. It's boring when I'm off."

Feli took his hand back, grinning at him. He took off his sunglasses and put them on the table. "Alright. Ludwig says I'm doing good with Ebony! I've had her for a week or so now. Ludwig was worried I would spoil her, but I've been good about it."

"Good thing he's socially constipated, then," Lovino grumbled. The sound of the thick liquid splashed against the delicate, thin glass and slid smoothly into Feliciano's hand. "Your dog has this... stony stare. It's freaking me out."

He let Ebony lick his hand for a few seconds. "Don't worry, she's the best dog in the world. And she's so fluffy! Want to pet her?" Feliciano took a sip of the wine.

"She looks like she might bite my hand off if I try. I don't think so. Cat person, remember? So do you just want a snack, or should we cook someth... hold up." Feliciano heard the sound of denim brushing denim and a few keys tap-tapping briefly. "Idiot..."

Feliciano looked to where it sounded like Lovino was. "Alright, yes please. You said that you had a bruschetta? That would be yummy. You make such good food, Lovi."

"Shut up, you modest bastard," Lovino chuckled, his tone warm and a little more smile-shaped than normal. That was... interesting.

He heard some small ticking noises. "Lovi, who are you texting? It's someone you like, isn't it?"

"What? No," he said quickly, giving a tap of finality. "No, this idiot is just too fucking persistent. I have some risotto left over from last night, if you want."

"But that's your happy voice. It's Antonio, right? Oh I'm so happy for you, Lovi!" Feliciano stood up and went over to his brother, holding a hand out, and when he found him, gave him a big hug. "You two are so good together!"

"W-what? Fuck, he must have told you. You couldn't possibly just know!"

He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "I know my brother. I could tell you liked him, because you didn't want him to know that when you were a kid, you burned all your paintings and never painted again. And don't worry, I didn't tell him that."

Lovino's happy voice faded quickly after that. "He doesn't need to know," the elder brother said firmly. "Do you understand? It isn't relevant. He won't last long anyway, so I might as well not speed up the process."

"Ve, alright. I wish you hadn't burnt your paintings because I'm sure they were really pretty." Feliciano kicked his legs under the chair, rocking back and forth.

"No." Lovino's voice was quiet, and all that filled the air for a few long moments was the sound of a knife against a cutting board. "Yours, though... I fucking hate you for it, but you always pick the nicest colors. Make sure to bring me whatever you make when your professors are done with them. And stop saving your best ones for Mama!"

"But I can't paint anything real, you used to paint landscapes and stuff. I remember one you described to me, it sounded really beautiful."

"You don't have to humor me, of all people," Lovino said with a sigh. "I know you don't even really get what I describe. Sometimes I talk just to hear myself talk. Did you want any Parmesan?"

He smiled and said yes, knowing his brother would have real Parmesan and not that dried stuff. "Well, with what I imagined it was really nice. I'm sure it would have felt nice, with the waves, the sand, and the grass. And smelt nice! It would have smelt like the sea!"

He heard the plate, Lovino's china, set on the table and felt a gentle touch at the top of his head- a rare, physical display of affection. "Yeah," Lovino agreed. "It did. And you know, we'll go again someday. You were just a baby then. You'll be able to remember it this time."

"It probably smells like Rome. I like the smell of the sea, it smells nice." Feliciano made a face then. "But it doesn't taste nice. I thought it would, but it's just really salty." He felt around for a fork, and started eating. "This is really good!"

"Of course it is," Lovino scoffed, and plopped down in the seat next to him. "I made it. Now. You said you needed to talk."

Feliciano swallowed what he had in his mouth and nodded. "Yes, I want advice, and you always know everything. I really, really like Ludwig, and I think he likes me too, but how do I take it to the next level? I need your help!"

All noises Lovino had been making previously - his tapping feet, bouncing knee, fiddling with something or other on the table - ceased. "What makes you think he feels that way?" came Lovino's tone, saturated in skepticism.

"Oh! Well, I just think he does, I don't know for sure, but when I like grab his hand or something for help, sometimes I hear a little hitch in his breathing, and when I'm really close, he gets really warm, and I can just kind of tell, you know? How did you first know that Antonio liked you?"

"He tried to seduce me the first time we met. In a grocery store. That isn't an example you want to take." Lovino sighed. "Damn, Feli, you had to pick the constipated human equivalent of a roadblock. I don't know what you'd need to do to get through to that hulking thing." The toe-tapping resumed. "I don't know. Have you told him you want to fuck him?"

Feliciano's pale eyes widened and he laughed. "I couldn't do that! Even if I could say it like you, I don't think Ludwig would say yes. He would probably stutter a lot and either change the subject or run away. Maybe I should get him flowers?"

"Subtle. Romantic. You think that lump of flesh would be moved?" He heard the sound of another fork click on his plate and smiled. He wouldn't say anything about Lovino stealing bites for now. "You might as well just go for it. The worst he can say is no, and then you'll just be right back where you started, and then you can try again."

"You think? But I kind of want him to kiss me first. I think that would be nice." He had never really had this problem before, as all his other lovers had made the first move.

"We don't always get what we want, Feliciano. If you throw yourself at him, he might not be able to refuse. Unless you want to take your time."

He hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger on the table. "So that's what Antonio did? He threw himself at you?" It seemed funny to think that that would work on Lovino, since he was normally so rude to the Spaniard.

"Well, yeah, but... well, I guess you're right. It just creeped me the fuck out. Have you done anything at all to, I dunno... seduce him? Have you even tried?"

Feliciano bit his lip, thinking. "Well, I bought him lunch a while ago. Maybe I should ask him if he wants to be my friend? That would be good!" Hopefully that wouldn't be too forward and scare Ludwig off or something.

"Your friend. Feli, that's... well, I mean, that worked for Antonio and I, but that's only because he was fucking panting for it in the first place. I had to set that up as a barrier to protect my ass. You sort of want the opposite."

He pouted, and reached down to rub Ebony's ear. "But if he doesn't want to date me, I at least want to be his friend. After that I can try to get further."

"That's noble of you. Okay. Do what you think is best, Feli. Try not to get too disappointed."

"I won't. And you don't either." Feliciano smiled, and ate some more. He stayed for almost an hour after that, enjoying the company of his brother, and left with a light heart.

.oOo.

Rifling through the disarray of films on his living room floor, Antonio propped the phone in between his ear and shoulder, chuckling at Lovino's snippy tone. "_No, I don't want to watch Sleeping Beauty. What the fuck am I, six? And why do you even have it?_"

"It's my favorite movie in the whole world!" Antonio said, laughing a bit. "Actually, I got it when I was taking care of my niece for a week. Oooh, how about _The Bird Cage_?"

"_You're such a stereotypical gay fuckwad_," came Lovino's low grumble. "... _But I do like that movie. So I_-"

"Sorry, it's VHS. Do you still have a VCR stashed away or something?" He had tried to find one in DVD, but it was such an old movie that the search hadn't been easy.

"_I'll just come to your place. I'm assuming you have a VCR._"

Antonio changed which hand he was holding the phone with. "Oh, yeah, I do. You've never been over yet, have you?" he asked, already going to get the VCR from storage.

"_Nope. And since you're an unthoughtful bastard, I had to invite myself this time around. Good going_." Was that a hint of derision in his tone?

He lifted an eyebrow at that. "Unthoughtful? What are you talking about? It's not my fault that you live in a mansion and I live in a small apartment. It's way nicer hanging out in a big house instead of here." Plus, he wasn't as clean as Lovino. He looked around the house, hoping he would at least have an hour to clean up a bit.

The Italian huffed. "_It's not like I'm bringing my family over_," he said tetchily. "_It's just fucking me. Unless you don't actually- never mind._"

"Don't actually what?" Antonio was quick to ask, having picked up on Lovino's 'moods' a while ago.

_"Nothing! Look, I'm busy, so if you don't really want to do this tonight, I can skip out. There's plenty of shit here for me to do."  
><em>  
>Antonio let out a breathy laugh. "Who said I didn't want to do it? All I said was that my place is small. I don't have a guest bedroom, with an attached bathroom, or five bathrooms, or anything else that you have, but that doesn't mean that I don't want you to come over."<p>

Lovino grumbled something intelligible, and Antonio could easily picture the cute little frown creasing the dip between his eyebrows and bowing at his lips. "..._Whatever. I'll be off in twenty, so text me your address and let me finish up here."_

"Alright. See you in a bit." As soon as he put the phone down, Antonio started cleaning. First, pick everything up off the floor, then maybe he could get in a quick vacuum. Damn, and there was a sink full of dirty dishes...

He had only just finished tidying up the kitchen and the sitting room when a few curt little knocks rapped on the front door, and upon answering, revealed a neat young man in a dark gray suit and haughty eyes.

"Hey! That was quicker than I thought. Glad you found the place." Antonio stepped back to let Lovino in, and when the door was closed he pointed to his lips, something he had started three days after they had started dating. Otherwise he feared he might never would get a hello kiss! Rolling his eyes, Lovino nevertheless turned a little pink around the edges and stepped closer, leaning up to plant a very quick peck on his mouth. "GPS is built into my phone. Of course it was fast."

He smiled at the kiss. "Right. Of course. Well, this is my place. Sorry, I tried to tidy up a bit, haven't been here much lately so I haven't cleaned for a while," Antonio explained, leading them through the kitchen to the living room.

Lovino followed him doggedly, and when Antonio looked, he found the young man taking in the whole sordid affair with curiosity. Well. At least that was better than disdain. "It's very... cozy," he said, his eyes only flickering toward Antonio's for a brief moment.

"Yeah, the nice way of saying small as shit. I'm surprised you said it the nice way actually." He knelt down in front of the TV, fiddling with the VCR until all the wires were connected to the right place.

"No, it's..." Lovinio shuffled from one foot to another, and had that awkward, tentative look that he only had when he was being honest. His cheeks were dark. Painfully honest, then. "It's comfortable."

But Antonio still couldn't believe that he actually meant it. "Comfortable, hey? Yeah, for a fifteen year old couch. Nothing compared to your thousand dollar sofa though, that thing is so nice." He put in the movie, and had to rewind it a little.

Lovino rubbed the back of his neck and stood there, frowning at the wall. It wasn't until Antonio called for his attention that he seemed to come back to himself. When Antonio pulled him down onto the couch he followed, settling himself stiffly, and as Antonio set to rewinding the tape, he blurted, "It was a gift."

"What was?" Antonio asked, turning around and coming to sit on the couch now that the movie was all set up.

Lovino frowned at the screen, refusing to meet Antonio's eyes. "The couch. Mama took Feliciano furniture shopping and they left it in my house while I was away on business. They wouldn't let me take it back."

He smiled, putting an arm over the back of the couch. "That was nice of them. It's a really nice couch. Uh, speaking of couches, watch out, this one has a loose spring in the corner, sorry. I usually sit on that side when I have company."

Lovino made a noise and shifted minutely closer to Antonio. He began to relax as the opening credits appeared and, very slowly, Antonio managed to pull him closer against his side.

Antonio moved his hand from the back of the couch to Lovino's shoulder, enjoying being so close to Lovino, who wasn't even doing work on his phone. The Italian didn't like talking during movies, so he stayed mostly silent. He smelled like the office, Antonio noticed. It wasn't a bad smell; nothing like that. Paper and ink and something cool, metallic, possibly chemical. Nothing like how he smelled fresh out of the shower, when he was all Lovino. Antonio's nose bumped against his temple and he smiled when Lovino gave a little jump.

The Spaniard laughed a bit, even when Lovino turned back to watch the movie. "I think we make a much cuter gay couple than those two."

Lovino grunted his affirmative. "Significantly less hairy." Then he cracked a tiny smile- just a brief quirk of lips, but it was there.

"And you would make a way sexier drag queen." Antonio murmured, turning his eyes from the movie to Lovino, who seemed to be enjoying this scene very much.

"Shut up," he growled, nudging Antonio with his elbow when the Spaniard began to mouth at the side of his neck. "There's a movie on."

Antonio grinned, his hand playing absently with Lovino's hair at the back of his head. "How can you expect me to pay attention to the movie when you're so much more interesting?" But he did stop most of his actions, if only to appease Lovino. Finally, finally when the credits rolled, Lovino turned his eyes to Antonio's.

"You're a real fucking piece of work. Is your attention span actually that short, or am I just lucky?"

"Aw, don't be like that. It's not my fault that I would rather watch you than Robin Williams." Antonio smirked, and as 'Birds of a Feather' played in the background, he pushed their lips together, moving languidly against Lovino's mouth. Fortunately for him, Lovino was pleasantly receptive to his affections then. Slowly, the Italian opened up, his fingers curling into the hair at the back of Antonio's head and pulled him closer. Antonio pulled his mouth away, and started kissing down Lovino's jaw to his neck. Lovino tilted his head up a bit, and tried to change positions to make it easier, but as he did, the loose spring in the couch pushed uncomfortably against his side. He pulled away, and Antonio laughed a little. "Sorry about that, I hate that spring."

"No, it's... yeah, no, that's dangerous. I hope you don't have any kids over here." He sat forward instead, his mouth pressing against the corner of Antonio's.

He moaned a little, placing his hand at the small of Lovino's back. "Only my niece, and she knows not to sit there." He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was getting late for a week day. "So, as I said, I don't have a guest room. So either you go home, sleep on the couch, or..." He grinned winked. "Sleep with me."

Lovino blinked and glanced over at the cushion with the loose spring. He shifted over it, winced, and moved away. "Yeah, okay, but we're not fucking. I'll need a shower and some clothes."

Antonio's grin grew into a genuine smile. "The bathroom is through there and to the right. Oh, and Lovi! I'm sorry, but it's not really big enough for two, so I can't join you." He laughed as Lovino got out of the couch. Of course he received a punch to the shoulder and the younger man relocated, apparently having found the bathroom as he heard a door close with a quick, loud snap seconds later.

This was the first night since the very first time they drank together that Lovino had agreed to sleep with Antonio. Of course, he wouldn't ruin it by trying to get him to go all the way, but he was probably entitled to some touching, and a lot of cuddling.

Antonio contented himself with tidying up the room until he heard the door outside crack and a sharp voice call, "I need clothes!"

He went to his room and grabbed some pajama bottoms. "I disagree. But if you insist on wearing clothes..." Antonio went to the door and opened it, throwing the pants in. "They'll probably be a bit big, but oh well, they'll work."

Lovino glared at him, sopping wet with a towel draped around his waist. Unfortunately. "And a shirt, you perverted fuck. Nice try."

"Oh come on, I thought you Italian's were all about going natural! You're such a party pooper." He went back to his room to get a shirt, and by the time he was back at the bathroom, Lovino already had the pants on.

They sagged a bit about his hips, and when Antonio passed him the shirt, he smirked. "Bit of a fatass, aren't you."

"All muscle, baby," he said, flexing one arm. "And you're unnaturally slender for a man your age. But that's what makes you cute." Antonio got another towel, and threw it over Lovino's wet hair, rubbing it so that it would dry. "And you don't mind if I sleep in the nude, do you?"

"Of course I do!" Lovino spluttered, glaring at him from under the towel. "Just put some other clothes on!"

He sighed dramatically. "Fine. But I get hot in the night, I may throw the covers off." Maybe if he only wore the pants. Who needed a shirt anyway? They were men, after all.

Rolling his eyes, Lovino brushed past him and into the bedroom, testing the bed with little bounces briefly before he rolled in, sticking his legs under the covers. He must have noticed Antonio watching him from the doorway because he looked up and, a little red around the edges, ordered, "Well, come on then."

"Yeah, give me a sec." Antonio went to the closet and grabbed some pants, glanced at Lovino and started stripping. He heard the Italian scoff and he looked away, quickly changing into the pants.

When he crawled in beside Lovino and turned off the light, immediately he rolled toward the Italian, grinning when he received an indignant noise for his troubles. "Really. There's plenty of room."

"Nope, it's a small bed, so nothing else to do but cuddle right up to each other." Really, it wasn't that small, it was a double, but any excuse to be close to Lovino was a good excuse. Antonio propped his head up on one hand, looking at him, and put the other hand on the Italian's hip. He was warm under Antonio's shirt and he stiffened.

"I... I know I don't have work tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you can get into my pants. You still have to get up."

Antonio rolled his eyes, rubbing circles with his thumb into the fabric of his pants around Lovino's hips. "I'm not trying to. Remember? I promised to wait. But that doesn't mean we can't touch, right? It's not like I'm grabbing your butt or anything."

"No," Lovino grumbled, "you're not. And as long as you keep it that way, we'll be fine." He shifted slightly, burrowing further into the covers, his fingertips resting on Antonio's upper arm.

He shifted closer, arm curling around Lovino's waist. "Night Lovi."

With a yawn, Lovino hummed his ascent. "Mm. Night, 'Toni..."

"Ew, don't call me Toni! That's not sexy at all." Antonio complained, pouting a little.

"Not trying to be sexy," he mumbled. "Said 'ntonio... just didn't hear it. Idiot."

He huffed and put his head down near Lovino's shoulder. "Alright. At least when I say Lovi it's cute."

To his great delight, Lovino's cheek soon nestled in his hair. "Shut up. Is not."

Antonio just smiled and stayed silent, content to let Lovino fall asleep against him.

.oOo.

Lovino heard Antonio stumble into the kitchen as he pulled up the yellow pages on his phone, scrolling through for the number of his building's manager. The Spaniard grabbed a cup from the cupboard and kissed Lovino's shoulder. "Not work, I hope," he said. "It's our four-month anniversary. You promised no work."

"It's not work. Shut up, you whiney baby. I'm gonna call the manager to come change that light on the entryway ceiling."

As he poured some juice into his cup, Antonio looked at him. "Calling the manager just to change a light? That's stupid, it'll probably take him forever to get here. If it's just the light bulb, that'll take like two seconds to fix."

"It's too high to reach," he answered, disgruntled. "And I don't have a ladder."

Antonio rolled his eyes and put his cup down. "A chair will do just fine. Do you have a bulb? I'll do it for you."

Lovino snatched a lightbulb from on top of the refrigerator and sized Antonio up before handing it over. "You might be tall enough. Might. But that ceiling is high, dammit!"

"Right. Just because you've never had to change a light bulb in your life doesn't mean the rest of us are that lucky." Antonio shot him a smirk and grabbed a chair, going to the front hall. He saw the burnt out light quickly and set up the chair under it.

Lovino watched him climb atop the chair and begin to fiddle with unscrewing the wide dome around the burnt out bulb and leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. Antonio handed the milk glass dome down to Lovino, and the Italian took it, a funny little tremble clenching in his chest. As Antonio straightened to replace the bulb, a little brown strip of skin flashed from under his shirt, and Lovino cleared his throat. "Hey."

Antonio glanced down, both his arms still above his head. "What's up? Don't worry, I won't get electrocuted."

"Fuck, yeah, don't do that. I just thought you should know that I think I'm ready now. To. You know. Do it." He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "Whenever."

Green eyes went wide, and Antonio almost dropped the bulb. "Really? Like... really? Wait, you mean sex, right? I would hate to get that messed up." He quickly screwed in the new bulb and reached for the glass dome to put back up.

Lovino handed it back with a little scoff. "Of course I mean sex. What else would I mean? Do you make an effort to be this slow, or is it just natural?"

"Just wanted to be sure is all. It would suck if I thought you meant sex, and I jumped you, and you say you meant getting a puppy." Soon he had the dome screwed on, then he jumped down off the chair, in front of Lovino.

The younger of the two cleared his throat and looked down. "We should wash our hands, though," he said, and quickly added, "I mean, if you wanted to do it now. That thing was dusty as fuck and there's no way I want dead skin particles and shit down my pants, if that's what you were planning to, you know, do."

Antonio laughed, shaking his head a little. "Way to kill the mood. Alright then, let's go wash our hands. And then get them dirty again."

When Lovino pulled Antonio down with him on his bed, he didn't know what he had been expecting. Something drawn out and awkward, probably, or Antonio immediately divesting him of his clothes and just getting on with it. But Antonio just held him and kissed him, though his hands were quite bold in their conquests. He moved his hands up Lovino's shirt, pulling it up slowly as he thoroughly kissed his mouth. Antonio grazed his fingers over a pert nipple, trying to gauge how sensitive Lovino was there. They hardened slightly, and the Italian had a barely noticeable hitch in his breath, so he figured they were sensitive enough. "Mmrph," Lovino uttered eloquently, pulling himself away for a brief moment as he tugged at Antonio's shirt. "You first."

"Tease," Antonio said, laughter in his voice. But he went on his knees, lifting his shirt over his head, then went back down to deal with Lovino's. He had such a cute stomach, practically no hair at all. Then he giggled. "You kind of have love handles. They're so cute!"

"Shut _up_!" Lovino hissed, batting his hand away. "I do not! And if I did, it's just because I enjoy good food just as much as anybody else!"

Antonio moved down and kissed just above Lovino's belly button. "Don't worry, I love them. You would look way too skinny otherwise." Then he went back up, kissing up from his chest to his mouth. "I think you're perfect, just how you are."

A little noise burst from Lovino's mouth and he covered it quickly with a hand. "Whatever," he finally said when Antonio pulled back to look at him. "J-just keep going."

But he stopped, and pulled back completely. Antonio sat back on his knees, looking at Lovino, his head tilted to the side. "You know... you were always saying how you didn't know about relationships cause you've never been in one. Are you... are you a virgin?" He hadn't thought of it before, but now that they were going to be doing this...

"No!" Lovino barked, sitting up quickly. "No, fuck, no. I've just never been kept around for very long. The longest... thing I've had has been a couple weeks, tops. Couldn't really define that as a relationship."

"Alright. Not that it would be a problem if you were, I mean, I just wanted to know, just in case." He had slept with a few virgins, and he liked being extremely gentle with them so they would remember their first time as good, no matter what.

"Well, I'm not. It. Um." He flushed, rubbing his cheek nervously. "It has been a while, though, so just be... you know. Careful. And shit."

He grinned and went back over him. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Antonio kissed him more, his tongue exploring freely. His hand went between them, fiddling with Lovino's belt. "You have stuff, right? Lube and condoms? I would have brought some, but I wasn't exactly expecting this to happen."

"Uh." Lovino pulled back, his brow furrowed. "... Shit." He pushed Antonio away and crawled over to his bedside table, opening the little drawer inside and huffing before snapping it shut. He rolled out of bed and went through his sock drawer, and the underwear drawer beneath that, grumbling all the while. "Fuck."

Antonio laughed, leaning against the headboard. "Well then. Wanna go out and get some, or I can bring some tomorrow." He personally didn't mind doing it without a condom; he knew Lovino was clean, but he never thought saliva worked well.

Lovino chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully before his eyes lifted to meet Antonio's and he crawled over toward him slowly, carefully. "How about," he murmured, flashing Antonio an expression he'd seen many times while out at restaurants aimed at attractive servers, deep and warm and dangerous, and softly, he pressed a kiss to the underside of Antonio's jaw, "if you run to get what we need, I'll make sure to be all prepared by the time you get back."

That definitely tweaked his interest. "By 'prepared', do you mean... _prepared_, or like you'll slip into something a little more comfortable? You know, never mind, I would rather be surprised." He quickly got off the bed and put on his shirt, desperately trying to think of the least attractive thing possible to get rid of his erection. "I'll be right back."

Lovino watched him dash out the door and sighed. He waited for the sound of the front door to open and close before getting out of bed again and squirting a bit of lotion from the bathroom cabinet into one hand and shucking his belt and pants with the other.

It took Antonio seven long minutes to walk to the drug store. He couldn't get the picture out of his head of what Lovino would be doing, and it was a really good thing that he had a long shirt on to hide anything embarrassing. Once inside, he quickly grabbed a packet of condoms and the first thing of lube he saw and went to the counter. There were three people in line, and one of them was an old woman that took such a long time he thought he would explode.

The lady behind the counter smirked at him, but Antonio didn't even give a shit at this point. It was actually really lucky that he had remembered his wallet at all.

Seven minutes back. By the time he had put the spare key in the door and opened it, he was already grabbing the lube out of the bag, opening the top to take off the stupid foil thing. "Lovi, I'm back! You'd better be ready!"

He took a breath and pushed open the bedroom door, and stopped. And stared. Lovino twitched and pulled his fingers (three, Antonio noted numbly) out from inside of himself. His ass was lifted high in the air, presented quite nicely for Antonio, his smooth, olive-toned torso sloped gently downward with his face cushioned by the mattress. He rolled from the position on his knees to his back and spread his legs. A light flush spread across his neck and his chest, which rose with every little pant. "Took you long enough."

Antonio let out a breath, moving forward without even thinking about it. "Sorry, babe. Hope I didn't keep you waiting." He was out of his own clothes before he got to the bed, his cock already too hard to remain in his briefs. He ripped open one of the condoms with his teeth, not wanting to wait any longer.

Lovino's eyes widened and he tried to pace himself, leaning forward to kiss him once the rubber was on, and waited until Lovino's fingers were tangled in his hair before he reached down and stroked the Italian's cock, solid and smooth and wet under his touch.

"I'm glad you didn't finish when I was away," Antonio whispered, licking the shell of Lovino's ear. With his free hand, Antonio got some lube out and rubbed it over the condom, making sure it would go easily. "Fuck you're so sexy. I can't wait, Lovi."

"Y-yeah, fuck, just..." He gripped the shoulders when the Spaniard pushed in and made a little noise, the most contented and frustrated growl Antonio had ever heard, and he lifted a leg about Antonio's waist. "Fuck, fuck, move."

Antonio moaned in pleasure, his eyes closing of their own volition. Lovino had obviously had enough time to prepare himself, because his entrance was slick and loose enough for him to thrust immediately. "God, Lovi... feel so good..."

Lovino moved up against him and dug his nails into Antonio's shoulders, deeper and deeper with every move, and he shifted and lifted until Antonio's entire cock slid easily in and out. He brought his legs up more so that he could thrust quicker, his balls slapping against Lovino's ass. It had been a while for both of them, so it was obvious neither would last very long, but Antonio wanted it to be the best damn sex Lovino had ever had.

But when he slowed himself, Lovino all but snarled, "Don't you _fucking _dare, I'm so close, _fuck_, faster!"

Antonio swallowed, sat back a bit, and grabbed onto Lovino's hips to start slamming into him, again and again. He bit his lip, and let go with one hand to stroke Lovino's cock, precum already dripping from the tip. "Oh fuck Lovi!"

It didn't take long at all for Lovino to completely unravel with a sweet, loud cry, and Antonio followed not too long after, collapsing next to Lovino in a state of post-orgasmic bliss. His hand was sticky and he was softening slowly inside of Lovino, but he was just too damn comfortable to give it much thought.

With his clean hand, Antonio turned Lovino's head and kissed him slowly. They were both breathing heavily through their noses, but they didn't give a damn as they kissed. The Spaniard pulled away, closing his eyes and pressing their foreheads together. "Well. Hope that was... up to your standards," he said with a lazy smile.

"Mmm," Lovino grunted, his toes twitching against Antonio's leg. "Didn't even have time to appreciate it. Next time."

He chuckled deep in his throat, moving slightly so that he fell out of Lovino's hole. "Right. I'll remember, next time I'll go nice and slowly, savor it." That sounded like a good idea, that way he could appreciate all of Lovino, take his time, pleasure him until he begged for it.

The warm body pressed so neatly against his moved and settled, comfortable, soft and complacent. And when he began to snore, Antonio could only smile.

.oOo.

There was pink-tinged light filtering through the curtains as Antonio lazily opened his eyes. Lovino was still passed out, curled into his chest. He smiled fondly at him, how peaceful he looked like this. Then he, with a bit of hands-on exploration, realized that they both had matching morning woods. It was rather obvious, since neither of them had bothered getting dressed the night before. Antonio reached down, cupping Lovino's ass, and ran a finger along his crack. He was still pretty wet, the Spaniard noticed as he traced the sleeping brunet's puckered hole. And still fairly loose, as he slipped that finger inside for a feel, just as Lovino was starting to wake up.

Not nearly awake enough to protest, Lovino's hips rolled and pressed against him, searching for friction and a deep noise rumbled around in his throat. "Mmmmthe fuck're you doing?"

He chuckled, still moving his finger in and out slowly. "I didn't get to do this last night." Antonio slightly curled his finger, trying to find Lovino's spot.

The resulting arch of Lovino's body and subsequent gasp made the bed dip and curve to refit his body closer to Antonio's. "Fuuuuck," he breathed, canting his hips forward.

Antonio mouthed at his neck, and pushed in another finger, rubbing the spot that was making Lovino gasp. He could feel the Italian's cock twitch against his leg. "Tell me what you want."

Lovino's body stretched and curled and he made sweet little noises, panting hotly against Antonio's neck. "More," he bit out, "more, now, I want... ohhh fuck, Antonio, mmm..."

"More, hey?" Antonio smirked a little, and without taking his fingers out, he scurried beneath the covers to go down to Lovino's waist, mouthing at his erection as he rubbed the Italian's prostate. The sound that he made, partway between a shout and a moan, was priceless.

Lovino's thigh muscles contracted almost unnoticably under the soft layer of skin and fat and Antonio had to taste them. Soft and warm, like every other part of Lovino, he noted, and gently nibbled on the sensitive skin.

He gave them another lick, before going back to Lovino's erection, holding down his hips so he couldn't buck up. Antonio slowly worked his mouth down his cock, until his nose was close to the coarse dark hair.

A contented hum drifted over him from above, and Lovino's legs stretched over Antonio's shoulders. He could feel ten little toes curling against his shoulder blades. "Fuck, yeah, just... ah..."

Antonio swallowed around the cock in his mouth, his fingers still thrusting in and out. It was obvious that Lovino was close, so he wanted to finish him off quickly. With his free hand, he started massaging Lovino's balls. He came moments later with a strangled little shout, and fell back, boneless against the mattress. A healthy flush had spread all over his body and the look he gave Antonio was liquid in essence, hot and deliciously sated. "Fuck you."

"Are you feeling alright? For some reason, that didn't sound as angry as it normally does." Antonio smirked as he wiped off his mouth, laying back down beside him. Antonio's own erection was almost painfully hard, so he reached down to stroke the base.

Lovino mumbled something in reply and closed his eyes, stretching both of his arms languidly above his head. "Fuckin' fantastic, actually. Not a bad way to wake up."

He smiled lazily as he stroked his own cock. "I'll keep that in mind then." Antonio would have normally thought that Lovino would be mad, but if he liked it, he could do it more often. The Spaniard pushed his head forward, kissing him, stroking a little faster.

Slowly, Lovino's hands moved down Antonio's body, smoothing over shoulders and pectoral muscles and his taut abdomen before stroking the soft little dip between Antonio's hip bones.

"Aw, you're such a tease." Antonio complained, his eyes closing and biting his lip. He squeezed the top of his cock, twisted a little to get a different feeling.

"Don't I know it." Lovino leaned down and nipped at Antonio's jaw as he batted the Spaniard's hand away and gripped the cock himself. "Fuck, you're big," he mumbled, squeezing and stroking slowly.

Antonio grinned, moving his hips a little. "You love how big I am." He moaned, and put his hand over Lovino's, making the pace faster.

Lovino bit his shoulder and pushed his hand away. "Patience, damn. But fuck, I didn't really get much time to observe. How did this even fit inside of my fucking body?"

The Spaniard groaned, amazed that Lovino was actually talking dirty about his cock. He just leaned back on the bed, letting the brunet do what he was planning to do.

Lovino's thumb acquainted itself with the sensitive head and foreskin, marking up Antonio's neck as he traced a pulsing vein. "I'll probably feel you all week."

"Fuck..." Antonio whispered, there was no doubt that Lovino knew how to work a cock. He shivered as a finger traced below his head, then up the slit. It had been a long time for him since he had been with someone, so this, and last night, felt even better.

"Yeah. Fuck." Lovino finally wrapped his fingers around Antonio's cock solidly and began to pump at it, hard and fast. "Last night when you came, you were so far inside me that I could practically taste you in my throat."

Antonio bit his lip, then his hand shot out, bringing Lovino to his lips, kissing him deeply. He moaned when he came, most of the sound caught in Lovino's mouth.

As he drifted into a pleasant golden haze, the first thing he felt was the crafty little grin against his lips. Lovino pulled back and lazily settled onto a pillow. "You're going to be late for work," he said with a little yawn.

"Oh shit." He glanced at the clock, and sure enough he wouldn't even have time to go to his apartment and change. "I'm going for a shower." Antonio got out of the bed, picking up his clothes, but went back for a quick kiss.

"Yeah, yeah," Lovino huffed, pushing him off after the "quick kiss" delved sweetly past the two-minute mark. "Go on. Wash up."

He sighed and went to the bathroom, showering in record time. In the end he was only about ten minutes late for work, and Antonio couldn't get the smile off his face.

* * *

><p>This is not the end! There will be a few more chapters after this!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

With one last shudder, Lovino rolled off of Antonio and collapsed at his side, taking deep gulps of air. He groaned when Antonio slid a hand over his debauched stomach, smearing the little drops and ribbons of come. "You'd better think twice," he panted, "if you think I'll be ready to go again any time soon. Fuck."

He chuckled a little, trailing his fingers down Lovino's neck. "That's fine. I need a shower before I make breakfast anyway." Antonio, however, didn't make a move to get up. "Maybe I can wait a few more minutes..."

"You'd better," the Italian grumbled, mouthing at his throat. When Antonio began to stroke the coarse hair between his hips, he gave the bruised neck a little bite. "Better shower, I mean. You finally got a day off. I'm not gonna spend it with you smelling like this."

Antonio groaned and got out of his bed. "Alright, alright. Speaking of work, if my cell rings while I'm in the shower, can you answer it? I shouldn't get a call or anything, but dog's don't really work around my schedule."

"Yeah, yeah." Lovino waved him off and snuggled down into Antonio's covers as the Spaniard stumbled around his small room in search of clothes. He watched the tan backside retreat from the room and smiled to himself.

After a few minutes of light dozing, he was jerked awake by an obnoxious honking sound. Lovino groaned and looked for the cell phone, hoping it wasn't actually Antonio's work. He was told he would get a home cooked meal, and that is what he wanted. Once he found the phone, he opened it up, and saw that it was actually a text.

Tuesday, 8:07 AM  
>555-6378: <em>Hey Antonio, this is Alicia, remember me? I was wondering if you would like to come over again... You know what I mean ;)<em>

Lovino dropped the phone and blinked. Then, slowly, he lifted it a second time and stared. Again? And what the fuck was that wink? _Again_? When had he been "over" with some bitch named Alicia? He had spent all of that week with Lovino.

... But it had only been five days since he had returned from Belgium. The trip had lasted eight days, and he had returned straight into Antonio's arms at the airport. They had barely made it into the man's apartment without making public disgraces of themselves. He had just assumed that Antonio had held out for him for so long that he had nearly been ready to burst. But was that not the case?

Without meaning to, Lovino pictured how Antonio must have been with that girl, and why just her? He had been used to a lot of sex with a lot of people, Lovino had been so _stupid _to think that he would settle down with just one person. The Italian got out of bed, hastily putting on his clothes, not even caring that his shirt was inside out.

His stomach rolled uncomfortably when he saw the mess on his stomach and grabbed a nearby sock, hastily wiping himself off before pulling on his shirt and stumbling down the hallway, a slight limp in his step.

He needed some fresh air. The trip home would be sufficient.

.oOo.

Antonio stepped out of the bathroom, towel around his waist, and another one over his head. "So I wanted to make some breakfast burritos. They may not be as fancy as you're used to, but they're really good..." His voice trailed off when he took the towel off his head and didn't see Lovino on the bed. A quick search of the apartment proved that he wasn't there, and all his clothes were gone as well. What the hell happened?

Tuesday, 8:28 AM Antonio: _Lovi, where are you?_

Tuesday, 8:29 AM Antonio: _Did you go grocery shopping?_

Tuesday, 8:29 AM Antonio: _Because I did that last night. Surprise! :D_

Tuesday, 8:30 AM Antonio: _Lovilovilovilovilovilovilovi_

Tuesday, 8:47 AM Antonio: _Lovi, I saw the text. I'll be there soon. Please let me explain._

Tuesday, 8:49 AM Antonio: _Please, Lovino.  
><em>  
>Tuesday, 8:58 AM Antonio: <em>Lovi, please open the door.<em>

Tuesday, 8:59 AM Antonio: _Fine, if you're going to be like that I'll use the hide-a-key._

Tuesday, 9:02 AM Antonio: _Lovi! What did you do with the hide-a-key!_

Tuesday, 9:03 AM Antonio: _Come on, let me in! I'm not gonna stop ringing the door bell!_

"Knock it off!" Lovino's face appeared in the doorway, hassled and tired and out for blood. "What the _fuck _are you doing?"

Antonio pushed his way inside past him, even though Lovino protested. "I know you saw that text from... uh, that girl. But it wasn't like I actually wanted to go or anything! I can't help what people text me!"

"Stop!" he growled, glaring daggers. "Get the fuck out of my house. You have no right, and I will get the fucking police."

"Why?" Antonio wouldn't leave before pleading his case, he just wouldn't. "Look, I wasn't going to cheat on you, or whatever you were thinking. Let's just go back to my place, and we'll have breakfast like I promised, alright?"

"Get out!" He shoved Antonio until he hit the wall. "I don't want to hear it! I should have... no. I really expected this all along." Lovino swallowed. "You don't have anything to explain. I knew it was going to happen eventually."

Antonio's green eyes looked at him, incredibly confused. "What are you talking about? Lovi, I just said I wasn't going to cheat on you. I don't even remember who that girl is! I probably gave her my number a long time ago or something." Maybe if he had a picture of her, he would remember, but he was usually pretty bad with names.

A look of hurt flashed over Lovino's face, but the muscle in his jaw clenched and he masked it quickly. "Just because you can't remember them, you think that makes it better?"

"Well I don't know! Of course, I don't even know what it is that I've done wrong. Seems I don't know a lot, hey?" Antonio started getting desperate, wanting to make this better. "Are you mad because so many people have my number? Fine, I'll change the number then!"

Lovino glared hotly. Antonio could see the little vein in his neck, though, the one that said he was swallowing whatever emotions he was feeling and putting on a face of anger to cover it up. "Don't be stupid. This... It's not your fault." He took the door knob in his hand and pulled it open further. "You warned me yourself. I just didn't listen."

"I... but... what? No Lovi, you're mad at me. Or upset or disappointed or something. Tell me how to make it better." He put his hand on Lovino's arm, trailing it down until he was holding his hand. "Please, tell me what to do."

The young man tugged his hand away and pulled it to his chest. "There's nothing to do. You told me you'd still flirt with people, and I thought you were joking. I accepted, though, so this was on me. I'm a businessman, Antonio. I know that if I don't heed to the terms and conditions, it can come back to bite me. And it did. It was my fault. So please just go. I can't..."

That threw him. "Flirt with people? Yeah, I'm a flirt, so what? So are you. Whenever we see a pretty girl, you're all smiles. But I don't see why flirting has you being like this, it's not like I actually do anything with the people I flirt with."

"Don't lie to me! I read the fucking text! Again, she said." Lovino's cheeks were stained red with humiliation. "So was it when I was in Belgium? Fucking hell, you couldn't have just used your hand? Fuck!"

Antonio's mouth fell open with a quiet "Oh." Then he shook his head. "Lovi, I swear, I haven't been with anyone since we started dating. And I consider that from the first night we went for drinks. I must have slept with her before that."

"How can you expect me to believe that? You're so fucking cheerful and popular and- and you just draw people to you. You wouldn't settle for someone like me. I can't believe you even b-bothered in the first place, and I don't know how it's lasted this l-long, but-"

The Spaniard suddenly stepped forward from the wall, shutting Lovino up. "I'll prove it." Antonio said, and then he... left. Just went out of the door and closed it behind him. Lovino let out a shaky breath, thinking that he should be relieved that he was gone so he could get on with his life. What he actually felt wasn't relief at all.

He went about his day like he normally would, with the exception of checking his phone every two minutes. He milled about the apartment, tried to read, though his mind wasn't in it, tried to sleep, though an ache in the back of his throat bothered him into restlessness.

At five, he started making dinner. It was kind of depressing having to make pasta for just one person, after eating nearly every dinner for the past few weeks with Antonio. But he didn't think about him, didn't want to think about that bastard anymore. He was out of his life. Probably for good. His hand shook as he stirred the creamy sauce, some deep, awful hurt sinking in his chest. He always did this to himself. He always let people make room in his life, in his heart, when he knew damn well that nothing could ever truly last. But it had not been the first time someone he dated had slept with other people during their relationship, and it would not be the last.

Or maybe it would. Lovino couldn't imagine why he would ever want to try to love like that again.

Before he could eat any of it, the door bell rang. Lovino sighed, hoping whoever was at the door wouldn't take too long. He hated eating cold pasta, almost as much as he hated microwaving pasta. Lovino went to the door and opened it without even looking out the peep hole.

Antonio grinned at him triumphantly, if looking a little pale. Lovino stared. "... What the fuck? Why are you here?"

"I said I would prove it, didn't I?" He turned his head, and Lovino saw what looked like a white bandage behind his ear. Antonio peeled it off, and there, on the skin, was a small heart, with the words "_Mi Lovi_" written in curling, swooping letters. The Italian's jaw dropped. He stared at the dark heart and the curved font and then tore his eyes away to look into Antonio's. "Are you fucking nuts? That's permanent!"

"Exactly!" Antonio winced as he put the bandage back on; it was still really tender. "I'm going to have this on my skin for the rest of my life. So you can't go thinking that I don't love you, or that I would cheat on you, or any of it, ever again, alright? This proves it!"

Lovino's eyes sharpened before, very quickly, so quickly in fact that the young man himself did not even seem to realize it was happening, they swam with liquid emotion. "You... um."

Antonio caught up with what he had just said, and a light blush dusted his cheeks, and he gave a sheepish smile. "Because I do. Love you, I mean. I wouldn't have gotten a tattoo with your name if I didn't."

Sniffing and rubbing at his eyes, Lovino shook his head. "You're a fucking moron, you know that? I hate you. I hate you so much. Get your ass inside."

The Spaniard smiled in relief and went through the door. Antonio wrapped his arms around Lovino, putting his head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I made you cry. Are you alright?"

Grumbling something incoherent, Lovino closed the door and let Antonio pull him closer, closing his own arms tentatively about Antonio's waist. "Of course I'm alright. And I haven't cried. You're just imagining shit to satisfy your ego. No, don't look!"

"Alright, you weren't crying then. Just something in your eye." Antonio said, chuckling a little. He pulled back a little so they could go deeper into the house. "But now, you'll never get rid of me. I hear removing a tattoo is more painful than getting it, so I'm never gonna leave."

.oOo.

Lovino looked up at Antonio from his phone and nudged the lightly dozing Spaniard awake. Sitting upright again, Antonio's arm tightened around Lovino's shoulder and smiled sleepily, ignoring the documentary playing on the television. "Hey," the Italian said, "I was reading something from a professional website, and they say you should have taken the bandage off a couple of hours after you got it, and then wash it off with unscented soap. It's been too long. Didn't they leave you instructions or something?"

"Uh, oh they gave me this paper." He fished it out of his pocket, and opened it for care instructions. "I was in too much of a hurry to come here, so I didn't read it." And sure enough, it said that he should have taken the bandage off by now. "Lovi? Can you help me wash it? I can't really see it very well."

"Yeah, yeah, you big baby. Come on."

In the bathroom, he ignored all of Antonio's catty remarks as he stripped and all but pushed the naked man into the shower. "I've got some plain soap," he said, "but the shampoo has alcohol in it, and the website warned against that. So you wash your hair and try not to get it close to the shaved part."

"Alright." Antonio felt a grin spreading on his face. "So if I'm the baby, does that make you my... daddy?"

"I've got soap about two inches from your eye," Lovino said, rubbing his lathered hands together. "You really wanna go there right now?"

He eyed the soap, and shrugged. "You would be an abusive daddy anyway. You would spank me all the time." Just to make sure, he closed his eyes after he said it, not that he really expected Lovino to put soap in his eye.

"Is it abuse when you're very literally and ardently asking for it?" he mumbled, rubbing gentle circles into the skin of the tattoo.

Antonio winced when he got to a very tender spot, but let him continue. "As long as I get to spank you back, I wouldn't mind. You could even say that I've been a very bad boy." Even with his flirting, he tried to stay very still, not wanting it to hurt more than it had to.

"Stop talking and shower, fucking masochist," he chuckled back, and when the Spaniard began to complain, he gave the smooth brown ass a quick, sharp slap. "I said shut up."

He got the shampoo and started carefully working it into his hair, making sure to stay away from that side of his face. Antonio looked down at the Italian and smiled. "Do you wanna know why I got it behind my ear?"

"I know you're going to tell me anyway," he answered, eyes flickering over to Antonio's.

"I got it there because that's kind of the lover's spot. I mean, no one else is going to be nibbling on my ear." Then he chuckled. "And I thought that was a little bit classier than on my butt."

"Just a little," Lovino agreed, and once Antonio had rinsed himself off, hair and body, Lovino pressed a very quick kiss to his cheek before grabbing a towel off the rack and tossing it at Antonio's face. "Get dressed. I'm going to go shower myself. And then I want to finish my fucking movie."

He smiled as he dried himself off, once again being careful while doing his hair. "Alright. I'll be on the couch." He went out, putting his pants back on, but didn't bother with a shirt. Antonio sat on the couch, not wanting to put the movie back on until Lovino was finished. Not ten minutes later, Lovino stepped into the living room in fresh clothes and wet hair, peering over at the form on his sofa. Without intending it, a little smile lifted the corners of his lips. From the plush chair on the other side of the room he grabbed the fuzzy throw and switched off the lights, settling against his lover under the small blanket and pushed Play.

.oOo.

Antonio watched from his bed as Lovino went around the room, gathering up his clothes to go home. It hadn't been planned, but he had gotten an urgent phone call, and had to go home to change before going to the office. The Spaniard sighed as he watched him. "You know... you should move in here."

"Not now, just shut up, I have to think," Lovino growled, hopping into his (sinfully tight, just for Antonio's benefit, he liked to think) jeans and hastily buttoning his shirt up. The young man patted his pockets and cursed to himself. "Shit, shit, have you seen my car keys?"

He pointed to the dresser, but wouldn't let it go. "I mean it, we're sleeping over either here or at your place practically every night. And if we lived together, whoever gets home first could make dinner! Just think about it, okay?"

He didn't even think that Lovino was listening at that point, so frenzied was his search. He disappeared from the room, slipping the mobile into his back pocket, and when Antonio heard a triumphant cry from beyond, he assumed Lovino had found them.

Nearly an hour later, once he had finally dragged himself out of bed, Antonio checked his phone to find a new message from Lovino. _Project's going to last through the night. I'll be staying over at the office. If you bring me some clothes around one, we can do lunch._

He smiled a bit to himself, already planning where they could eat. Antonio went to Lovino's house to grab him some clothes, and went to the school. Once there, he could barely keep his eyes off the clock, so, at a quarter to one, he left, extra clothes in hand.

Lovino met him in a little cafe downtown, taking the bag from him with a sigh. "It blows to be the owner's grandson sometimes," he grumbled once they were seated. "But at least I'll get the rest of the week off once this project's finished. Campaign for a new spiced flavor. Like we haven't got an entire fucking floor dedicated to it already."

Antonio grinned and sat down. "Have you already ordered?" It was a quiet little cafe, there were a few other couples in it but not many. And, since Lovino had picked it, the food had to be good.

"No, I was waiting for you. Coffee for me, please," he ordered, smiling politely to the plump, older waitress when she sidled up to their table.

"So did you get everything worked out alright? That call seemed really urgent," Antonio asked, also ordering a coffee, and looked at the menu to see what they had.

"It's the stupid fucks we hired as linguists- it's fine. Professionalism is dead. Apparently, one of our very well-paid interpreters had some slip of the tongue to one of our highest-paying Turkish clients. I spent a few years studying in Turkey when I was young, so I was brought in to resolve the matter."

He nodded, and thanked the lady as she brought their coffee. "Well, it's both of our lunch breaks, I don't want to talk about work. Have you thought about what I said?"

"Hmm?" Lovino stirred granulated sugar into his cup and frowned. "What did you say?"

"I said that I think you should move into my place. You've said that your house is too big for you, so move in with me," Antonio said, sounding lighthearted, like it didn't matter to him, but he really did want Lovino to move in.

The cup was poised in midair, just inches from Lovino's mouth. His eyebrows lifted so high that they had nearly disappeared into his bangs. "... You... wait, when did you decide this?"

Antonio sighed. Lovino really hadn't been paying attention to him this morning. "When you were rushing away to go to work. If you lived there, all your clothes would be there, and you wouldn't have to stop at home before work."

If anything, Lovino looked confused. He took a long sip of his coffee before setting it down and staring into its dark, bitter depths. "Don't you, um... like your space, though? I mean, it may sound like a good idea now, but if you can't get a breather, you might not like it so much."

"It's not me that would need the space. But it's up to you, I think it would be nice living together." Even if his place was kind of small. But they could put some of Lovino's furniture instead of his furniture, and he could do some more cleaning up.

"Oh. Uh." Antonio could see that he was flustered, and the look in his dark golden eyes told him that it wasn't the bad kind of flustered, but he still seemed to hesitate. "Let's... let's give it a little thought. Okay?"

Antonio put his hand over Lovino's on the table. "Yeah, you think about it. Tell me what you want to do when you're ready, because I've already made up my mind."

The Italian nodded after a moment and turned his palm over to squeeze Antonio's hand back. "I will. But tell me if you change your mind."

"I won't change my mind," he said, without hesitation.

"Yeah, okay, but if you _do_, promise you'll tell me. I want to... talk about it and shit if you need to."

Antonio smiled and nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you if I want to back out. But I won't."

"I suspect that you won't," Lovino muttered softly, examining the back of Antonio's hand. He jumped back when the waitress set their dishes in front of them and hastily set about to eating, blushing all the while.

.oOo.

Wednesday, 8:48 PM Antonio: _Are you seriously still at work? You've been there for almost 2 days!_

Wednesday, 9:04 PM Lovino: _Yeah, I'm just finishing up now. I hate to ask, but could you come pick me up? Can barely keep my eyes open._

Wednesday, 9:05 PM Antonio: _Sure, I'll be there in like 20 mins._

Antonio was lucky and just caught the next bus which stopped right outside Lovino's office. He had a drivers license, even though he didn't have a car, so it worked out nicely, driving Lovi home.

The Italian slid into the passenger seat with none of his usual grace and was out like a light by the time Antonio started the car. He began to snore by the first traffic light, and roused in the most grouchy fashion Antonio had ever seen when they came back to his apartment.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. You're the one who worked yourself to death." Antonio walked with him to the door, and once they were in the bedroom, started undressing him, starting with his shoes. "Just a minute more and you can go back to sleep, okay?"

"I smell like 'neptitude," he grumbled, flopping backwards into bed. "And the copy machine. Ffffuck trees."

"Alright, we've officially reached the point where you stop making sense." Antonio finally got his pants off, figured he could sleep in a shirt and underwear, and pulled down the covers for Lovino to get under. Then he started getting undressed himself. Tiredly, Lovino clambered beneath the covers and curled up on his side of the bed, his face sunken deeply into Antonio's pillow.

"Yeah," he sighed when Antonio slid in beside him and pulled him close. "I could live here, I think."

Antonio's breath caught at the sleepy sentence. Did he really mean it? Was Lovino even aware of what he was saying? He curled around the Italian and put his head on the pillow. "We'll talk about it in the morning." Because if he held him to what he said while half asleep, Lovino would never agree to it.

Thirteen hours passed, and finally Lovino began to stir, his throat dry and the inside of his mouth gummy. Luckily, Antonio was already out of bed, so he crept into the bathroom to brush his teeth and gulp down his weight in water.

When he emerged, it was to find Antonio with a hot cup of coffee ready for him. Lovino sat down at the table, and without a word, started drinking it.

He yawned, drowsy from all the sleep, and eyed the Spaniard that settled across from him. "You're going to have to get used to not-shit brands of coffee if we're gonna to start living together."

The dark haired man grinned brightly. "So you remember what you said last night. Good, I thought I was going to have to bring it up."

"I wasn't drunk. I was just tired as fuck." He cringed at the taste of the cheap coffee, but kept drinking. "I don't know how I'm going to fit my shit in here. And my sofa folds out into a bed, so we'll have to trade yours out for when Feli comes over."

"Oh, yeah, we are definitely not keeping my couch. I say we get a storage locker for some of our stuff, we choose some things to keep, and the rest goes in the locker." Antonio said, sipping at his own cup of coffee.

"That's where you put stuff you never pull out again, though, isn't it?" Lovino said with a little frown. "I mean, I don't give a shit about expense or whatever, but lots of the things I own are gifts from family."

He shrugged, smiling brightly at the prospect of Lovino moving in with him. "Well, maybe after a while we can move some place else where we can fit all your furniture. But not some place like the house you're living now. It's so big. I don't even know how you keep it all clean."

"And I don't know how one man can make all of this fuckin' mess," Lovino countered, snorting into his cup. "Ridiculous."

"It's not that bad! It's not like I have shit everywhere, just a few places." Like on the tables and counters and shelves. But he mostly kept the floor clear. Antonio smiled, and happened to tilt his head in a way so Lovino could see the tattoo. "I'll try to keep it cleaner. But you have to contribute too."

"Well, no shit," he said. "But you know, if I clean and then come home from work to find that a veritable tornado went through the place, I'm going to throw a fit. Did you make sure to wash your ear? Twice a day?"

Antonio laughed a little, and almost reached up to touch it. "Mostly. At least once a day." It was pretty much healed up by now, but it could still be tender if something touched it.

Lovino frowned. "For the first week you need to wash it twice a day. And you can start putting lotion on it now. It'll flake, but don't scratch it."

"It's not infected or anything, so don't worry about it." Antonio smirked, running his hand through his sleep tousled hair. Not that it ever looked any different than it did now, Lovino thought, rolling his eyes.

The young Italian's jaw twitched in irritation. "You're supposed to treat it like-" He stopped himself and took a slow breath. "If we're gonna do this living together thing and not kill each other, then I propose we start by setting up a few ground rules. First on the list: obviously you have difficulty maintaining a sanitary living environment, so I'd appreciate it if you'd actually _listen _to me when I have a health concern and comply with the simplest fucking requests." Then, through his grit teeth, "... Please."

"It's not like I'm a slob! It just isn't pristine like your house." Antonio sighed, a small smile on his face. "Look, it's almost been a week since I got the tattoo, it's going to be fine. I'll start putting lotion on it today, if that's what you want."

Lovino relaxed slightly, nodding. "Good. Just don't scratch." He finished off his coffee and set the cup down with finality on the table. "You know, we haven't been obnoxiously affectionate for two whole days."

Antonio lifted an eyebrow, stood up and went over to him. "Well, the day is just starting..."

.oOo.

"Lovi!" Feliciano crooned, falling perfectly against his brother. The hostess in the dimly lit restaurant eyed them patiently as she gathered menus. "It's been so long! Has Antonio come, too?"

"He should be here soon. As usual, the bastard is late." Lovino let his brother rest against him comfortably, not even resisting when he was pulled into a hug.

"There will be one more joining us," he told the young hostess once she had led them to their table. The pretty brunette smiled and nodded and set their menus down before returning to her station. Lovino devoted all of his attention to Feliciano then, who smiled complacently behind his dark glasses. "How are your grades, Feli?" he asked, and smirked when Feliciano whined.

"You sound like Mama!"

"Tough shit. I hope you gave her the answer she wanted to hear."

He sighed dramatically, letting go of Ebony's harness. "I only have a few classes, and they're fine. It's only art, after all."

"I knew a couple classy fucks in primary school who failed their art classes. Don't assume you won't make that mistake just because you're talented. What do you want to drink, Feli?"

He tilted his head, thinking. It really was too bad that he was too young to order wine. "I'll just have water. What do they have for pasta?"

Lovino was interrupted by Antonio coming in and sitting beside him, pressing a quick kiss to Lovino's temple. "Hi Feli! It's been a while! You never come to the school anymore." He let Ebony sniff his hand, wondering if she remembered him.

"Ebony graduated a long time ago!" he answered proudly, his head tilting upward. "Thanks to Ludwig."

"He instructed you," Lovino corrected. "But you did the work."

Antonio laughed, patting Lovino's knee. "Yeah, I know you two are all set now. Are you noticing a big difference? You two are working well together?"

"Mm, yes, very," Feliciano said, his lips curling into a soft grin. "Ludwig does a lot of good for me."

Lovino looked between the two of them as they chatted amicably, and felt that same little niggle of anxiety scratch at the back of his throat, but one glance up gave him the perfect view of his name scrawled elegantly under Antonio's dark brown curls and he relaxed.

The older brother stood up a few minutes later, excusing himself to the bathroom before their food came. Antonio let him out of the booth, and sat back down, smiling over at Feliciano. "Well, it's really nice to know that Ludwig has found someone for himself. I was beginning to worry about the man."

"I think we should talk about him later. I'd like to talk about Lovino now, if that's okay." Feliciano's smile was mild, but Antonio could tell that some heavy thought was behind it.

"Oh... yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about? It's not about him moving, is it?" They were still trying to smooth out all the wrinkles, so it wasn't done yet, and Lovino was still looking for someone to buy his place.

"No... well, yes. I just want to make sure that you're ready for this commitment. And I don't mean just about Lovi." He paused when the waitress came with their food, leaving Lovino's in the empty spot.

Antonio looked over at him, amazed at how serious Feliciano was being. "The commitment of moving in together? Yeah, it was my idea. I love him, and anyway, we're together pretty much every day anyway."

"I know," Feliciano chirped. "I know how much he loves you. I just think that you should know that you're not just in a relationship with Lovi anymore if you make this commitment. I'll be very frank. I like you, I do, but hypothetically, if you did anything to hurt him, I'd be the one to tell my family the bad thing you'd done." His voice dropped low then as he found his fork and, twirling the pasta expertly, he murmured, "And they can be so, so scary. So!" He smiled again. "Just make sure not to do anything dumb. Hi, Lovi!"

Lovino looked between them for a minute, sensing he had missed something. "...whatever." He sat down when Antonio let him in the seat, and looked at his food to make sure it was right.

"Lovi, have a bite, this is really yummy!" Feliciano lifted his fork and Lovino took it obediently, licking his lips.

"Shit, that is good. Here." He stabbed a hearty forkful of his own and pressed it back into Feliciano's hand. "Feli, could you keep some of my shit in your empty office? Antonio's place is tiny."

"Of course! But I don't know why Antonio doesn't just move into your house. Wouldn't that be easier?" Feliciano asked, head tilted to the side when he took the bite of Lovino's dinner.

Antonio looked to Lovino, hoping that he would answer. Really, it would make more sense to move in with him, bigger house, bigger kitchen, bigger everything. But he still remembered the first time Lovino had come over, he said it felt homey.

Lovino shrugged, ignoring Antonio's stare. "If it's too big for one person, it's too big for two. The only downside is that you wouldn't have a bedroom to yourself if you came over."

He nodded at that, satisfied with that answer. They all quieted down as they started eating, and Lovino grinned as he tried the garlic bread. "This is really good food. I'll have to bring Ludwig here some time. But he won't like it, he doesn't think expensive places are worth it."

"Is he stupid?" Lovino asked blandly. "Of course they're worth it. If it was expensive and tasteless that'd be one thing, but you have great taste. You'd never take him anywhere bad. It's probably some weird masculinity issue or something."

Feliciano smiled fondly. "Yes, he doesn't like it when I pay the whole bill. How about you, Antonio?"

"Well, I pay when Lovi doesn't beat me to it. Sometimes he even goes to the bathroom and pays on the way back so that I won't be able to stop him." Antonio rolled his eyes and rested his hand on Lovino's knee.

"If I did that, Ludwig would be upset with me," Feliciano sighed. "It's just that he is so good to me, I want to pay him back whatever small way I can."

"Yeah," Lovino agreed quietly, before turning pink, completely avoiding Antonio's eyes. "I mean, fuck, no, that's ridiculous, Feli, it should be the other way around. I hope you let him pay every once in a while."

Feliciano didn't know about Antonio's large grin, but he could feel that he was happy. "No, I like paying for him. He works so hard for his money, and he plans where he will spend it all. Besides, I'm normally the one who wants to go out to a restaurant."

"But I bet you cook most, too. Damn, Feli, if you two are dating and you're playing the little fucking housewife, he should at least take you out on his own dime."

"He bakes, too," Feliciano defended. "He's really good at baking cake. You've got to try it sometime. He makes traditional German chocolate cake. It's _bitter_, Lovi, but it's so good!"

Antonio nodded at that. "Yeah, he's brought it for lunch a few times and I had a piece. It's pretty good. Well, I guess it depends on what you like, it's not really sweet."

"Feliciano's biased," Lovino said, rolling his eyes. "Normally he doesn't like sweets if they're not really sweet. Won't even eat biscotti without rolling it in powdered sugar."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true."

Feliciano pouted a bit, but quickly perked back up as he ate his pasta. When the bill came, Lovino grabbed it immediately, not letting Antonio even look at it. He also insisted on driving Feliciano home, which they all agree to.

"We need to do this again soon," Lovino insisted, walking Feliciano to the door and kissing his brother on the cheek. "And next time, your macho boyfriend can come. And pay."

He giggled at that, knowing that he would never make Ludwig pay. "Alright. It was fun! Oh, and Lovi, I meant to ask you, have you talked to Grandpa lately? He's planning the family reunion. It's been so long since the last one."

"Shit," Lovino groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. Yeah, we met up last month in Venice, and he reminded me. He said he'd send tickets."

Feliciano suddenly looked a bit nervous, wringing his hands absentmindedly. "Have you told him... about Antonio? I want to bring Ludwig, but... well, you know how overprotective Grandpa can be. He's even worse than you are."

"Yeah," he grumbled. "I know. I didn't have to tell him. He already knows about them both. You can thank Mama for that. I could only redirect the conversation after giving him Antonio's fucking blood type."

"Oh... well, I'm sure he'll like them both! How could anyone not like Ludwig? And Antonio is very funny. I'm sure they'll get along. Well, bye! See you soon!" Feliciano leaned up to kiss Lovino's cheek, finding it quickly.

Lovino waited faithfully at the doorstep until Ebony's tail disappeared behind the door and he heart the little click of the lock before strolling back to the car.

.oOo.

Antonio held the door open for the two burly movers as they carried Lovino's couch out of the house. It must have weighed a ton, but they seemed fine with it, lifting the heavy sofa without even breaking a sweat. Lovino followed with a box of clothing, stuffing it into Antonio's car before stepping aside to allow his lover to do the same. "Look at them," he said with a sigh.

"What, the movers? What about them?" Antonio closed the door, the car pretty much full, and watched as the two guys came back out of the moving van. It was exciting, finally doing this after so long of just planning.

"Look at how ripped they are. Damn." He leaned back against the car and watched unabashedly.

Antonio looked down at him, eyebrow raised. "Wait, you're checking out the moving guys? When your boyfriend is standing right beside you?" He tried to sound hurt, but really he didn't care. As long as Lovino was just looking.

"I'm not... checking them out," he said, tilting his head to the side. "I'm just making observations." Looking over at Antonio, his eyes took on a considerably darker tone as they raked up and down his lean form. "I'm not really into beefy guys anyway."

"Well, good. Or else you would be into your brother's boyfriend." Antonio chuckled, looking back to the house. All of the boxes were out already, and they were just working on all the furniture, which was going into the truck. They had already separated out the stuff that would be stored at Feliciano's house.

Lovino snorted and smacked Antonio's hip. He dug the phone out of his pocket when it began to ring. "Yeah right. He's pale as fuck, and that's no fun. Ah, damn." Pressing Talk, Lovino held the phone up to the side of his face and turned away from Antonio. He spoke briskly and his tone gave off the distinct air of businesslike patience, but Antonio couldn't understand the words coming from his mouth. They all ran together smoothly, like melted chocolate, and Antonio realized that he was speaking Italian.

Even though he knew only a few words of Italian, he listened to the conversation, the foreign words washing over him. It sounded enchanting, intelligent, and completely sexy. Antonio put that to memory as Lovino closed his phone and turned back to him.

"Venetian branch needed Grandpa's contact information," he said, rolling his eyes. "Wanted his personal number. The dumb fucks think they'll actually get it."

Antonio made a sound of understanding, and watched as the movers took out the last piece of furniture. "Well, guess that's it, let's get going."

Lovino turned in the keys to the landlord and slid into Antonio's car, not sparing even a glance to his former home. He jumped when his phone rang again and mumbled a little curse to himself, answering in a manner far more clipped than before.

Antonio grinned. He loved it when it wasn't him inciting Lovino's wrath. It made it much more fun to watch the Italian bristle.

It took most of the day for everything to be put right, Antonio's couch, chair, desk, and oven taken out and replaced with the more expensive counter parts. The oven in particular took about an hour to deal with, Antonio complaining that it worked fine, and Lovino insisting that he would not cook with an oven that was just _fine_.

There were a fair number of breaks, of course, as they celebrated their new living arrangements: grinding against the fridge, fallatio on the sofa, a good half hour of locking lips while perched atop the bathroom counter.

But when it was all finished and well into the night, Antonio pulled him into the bedroom. "Come on, let's make love for the first time in our apartment."

"First... you're joking. Just because I've moved my mattress onto your bedframe, that doesn't make it the first time. We've done it on that mattress and in this apartment respectively more times than I can count."

"That's not what I meant! This will be the first time when you are actually, really living with me. Sure, we've slept over, and sure we've left stuff at each other's places, but now you are officially living here." Antonio wrapped his arms around Lovino's waist. "It's important."

Sighing as though he were long-suffering, Lovino tilted his head upward and kissed Antonio soundly where he stood. "If you insist," he said when they parted, and fell back onto the bed. "Fuckin' shame that we're gonna get these clean sheets dirty, though."

He grinned and followed him down. "We could both wear rubbers. But I know how much you hate them." Honestly, they hadn't been wearing condoms for at least two months now, both preferring the raw sensation of their bodies moving together without a barrier since they'd both been tested.

"You can't keep sweat away with condoms," Lovino retorted, rolling on top of Antonio and granting him a series of deep, brief kisses.

When he pulled away, Antonio looked up at him and gave his best sexy smile. "Hey... say something hot in Italian. I heard you on the phone today, it almost made me hard right there in the street," he murmured, running his hands up Lovino's back.

Lovino shuddered and closed his eyes. "That- that was business. It's boring to talk about business in bed." He practically purred when Antonio pulled him close for another kiss.

"Don't talk about business. Say something sexy in Italian." When they pulled apart long enough, Antonio lifted Lovino's shirt over his head, throwing it somewhere on the ground.

When Antonio mouthed at his neck, Lovino groaned and threaded the fingers of his right hand through Antonio's hair. In a soft, sensual tone, he began to speak, and only stopped when Antonio nipped at his clavicle.

"I know a _little _Italian. You were just counting, weren't you? That's not sexy at all." Antonio pouted, licking the area of skin to soothe it.

"I can't... can't think straight," he retorted, grunting and lifting his hips. "Motherfucker... j-just tell me what you want me to say, and I'll say it...!"

Antonio chuckled, moving to Lovino's pants to get them undone. "But that ruins it. Here, like this. _Eres tan hermosa, mi rosa poco, quiero sentir en mi contra para siempre._" He made sure that his voice was deeper when he spoke Spanish, the words ghosting over Lovino's skin, lighting it on fire.

Lovino watched him silently, his eyes wide for a moment, and then he rolled on top of Antonio, reaching down to cup the Spaniard's erection through his jeans. "I don't know what the fuck that means," he growled, marking up Antonio's throat in between words.

His eyes slid closed for a moment and Antonio moaned, pushing up into Lovino's hand. "You don't have to know what it means. But it sounds sexy, doesn't it?" Why couldn't Lovino understand a language kink?

"Fuck yes," Lovino said, tilting his hips into Antonio's. "Do it again. Do it again and you can fuck me on every fucking surface in this apartment."

He smirked, bringing Lovino down for a quick kiss. "I'm going to do that anyway, _mi tesoro. Me vuelves loco._" Antonio never would have thought that learning Spanish growing up would be used like this, but he couldn't complain.

"Fuck, just... fuck." Lovino lifted up onto his knees and shimmied out of the tight jeans, falling over to Antonio's side as he kicked them off. He kissed one broad shoulder and then Antonio's neck.

Antonio reached for the lube, and came back with it in his hand. "Now it's your turn. Say something in Italian, something way more sexy than counting to ten."

Groaning, Lovino tucked his body against Antonio's and fumbled with the Spaniard's jeans. He murmured something in his mother's native language, low and even, more like a purr than a sigh against Antonio's shoulder.

"Damn, that's hot," Antonio groaned, running his fingers through Lovino's hair, before gripping it and bringing him to his mouth. They kissed slowly as Lovino got his pants undone, and started pushing them down the Spaniard's hips.

He'd barely kicked them off of his legs before Lovino took the lubricant from his hands and slicked up Antonio's cock before he could blink.

Antonio put his hand on Lovino's shoulder. "Going a little fast, aren't you? Haven't even stretched you yet. And it's been... well, a whole day since we last had sex." They could probably do it without preparation, but he wanted to make it painless for the Italian.

Rolling his eyes, Lovino, to Antonio's surprise, acquiesced. He moved his slippery hands up to his lover's waist and buried his nose in the crook of Antonio's neck.

Antonio smiled and slicked up his fingers, trailing them down to Lovino's crack. Antonio's other hand was caressing the back of Lovino's neck, occasionally rubbing up into his hair line. "This is a good position. Now I can watch your greedy little hole swallow up my fingers," he whispered into his ear.

Lovino shivered and rolled onto his back, glaring over at Antonio half-heartedly. "You can only tease me if you do it in Spanish," he mumbled, cheeks burning an honest shade of rose.

The Spaniard smirked, and rolled on top of him, finally slipping the first finger in. He whispered more naughty things in Spanish, things that he had never said in that language before. But it was obviously turning Lovino on.

"Fucking hell," Lovino breathed, sliding one leg atop Antonio's hip to allow himself enough leverage to rut slowly against him with every thrust of his fingers.

Soon he took his fingers out, and lined himself up with Lovino's hole. He pushed the head in, and stopped. "Say please, in Italian."

"_Per favore_," Lovino answered immediately, his breath hitched hot against Antonio's jaw. "Antonio, Antonio, just... yes..."

Antonio started thrusting, going fast right from the beginning, not wanting to take his time right now. "Damn Lovi... you feel so fucking good. _Te quiero _Lovi, I love you so much." He bent down, mouthing along Lovino's chin, up to his ear, nibbling on it.

Lovino locked his thigh tight around Antonio's hip, his ankle wedging itself just behind the Spaniard's knee as he rocked against Antonio.

He reached a hand between them, fingering the tip of Lovino's leaking cock, circling the head with his finger before grabbing onto it. Antonio licked a path to his neck, and sucked on a spot, determined to leave a mark. The Italian panted and writhed like he had no control over himself. He keened on reflex when Antonio suckled on his clavicle. Lovino sucked back, leaving a dark mark right beneath his ear. Antonio put a hand under Lovino's butt, lifting him up a little so he could thrust deeper inside. He heard the Italian moan louder, and he knew that he had hit his prostate dead on. With a tiny little gasp, Lovino shivered and held on tighter to the older man. "I- ah! Fuck. Fuck. Yeah, come on, just..." His breath hitched once, twice as his prostate was nudged.

"Fuck... Lovi, Lovi come with me, come together..." Antonio panted, holding onto Lovino tightly, stroking his length quickly, and tried to muffle his moan into the tanned shoulder as he came with a cry.

Lovino whimpered and closed his eyes, his voice raising in pitch with every little stroke. "Yes, 'Tonio, more... m-more, just..."

When Antonio squeezed his balls, Lovino was finished, he arched off the bed, moaning loudly, as his cock squirted ribbons of cum on his stomach. The Spaniard pulled out, falling half on top of his lover.

And slowly, as Lovino came down from his high, he slowly opened his eyes. "Fuuuck, get off me, you fatass."

He rolled off with a groan, pulling Lovino to his chest and holding him tight. "Well, how was our first living together fuck? I thought it was amazing. Definitely have to get you to speak more Italian next time." Antonio gave a small yawn, wanting to fall asleep.

Lovino grunted, tucking his head into the crook of Antonio's neck. "As long as you're prepared to return the favor," he mumbled sleepily, and grasped blindly for Antonio's hand before falling into a light, gentle slumber.

.oOo.

Antonio had just thrown away the last box that had held Lovino's things, they were all finally unpacked and where they wanted them. He smiled over to the brunet, who was sitting on the couch, doing work on his phone again. "Well, that's it, then!"

The young Italian snorted. He tilted his head just slightly toward Antonio when he pressed his mouth to Lovino's cheek and sighed. "Not quite. We'll need to pack. You should probably get enough clothes packed to last a week, just in case."

"What are you talking about? We just unpacked all your stuff." He sat down on the couch beside him, leaning against the arm rest and putting his legs over Lovino's lap.

Lovino shoved them off and crossed his own. "We'll be flying to Italy in a couple of days."

Antonio shot up, his eyes wide. "Italy? Me and you? You planned a romantic getaway to Italy! Oh Lovi! That's so wonderful! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He started thinking of all the things they could do together, halted only by Lovino's snort.

"Not even close." With a few more taps he tossed the phone onto the sofa beside him and glanced in Antonio's direction. "Family reunion. Obligatory."

"Oh, really? Well that should be fun! I get to meet your family! Wow, in Italy! But, even if it's a reunion, we can still make it a romantic getaway." Antonio said, sliding close to him, cupping Lovino's face in his hand. "It'll be amazing."

"Maybe," came Lovino's surly reply, even as he closed his eyes for a kiss. His phone buzzed beside him and he allowed for another short moment of affection before pulling back to check it with a sigh.

The Spaniard stood up to let him work. "I'll start packing for us. This is going to be so fun!" And, perhaps it would be the perfect opportunity he was looking for.

"Hurry back," Lovino said, glancing up. "It's almost time for a nap, and I'm comfortable right where I am."

Antonio grinned over his shoulder and went into the room. He took out two things of luggage, and looked for a secret pocket that would be secure. In his own, he figured the inside pocket would do well, so he went to his sock drawer, grabbed what he was looking for, and put the small box in the pocket before zipping it up.

.oOo.

"Lovino!"

Blinking, Lovino turned away from Antonio, who kept a lookout for their bags. His eyes searched through the crowded, bustling luggage area, and smiled when a pair of arms waved above the sea of people. Detaching himself from Antonio's side, Lovino followed the excited voice until his mother finally made her way into his arms. "Hi, Mama."

"Oh it's been so long! It's too bad you and Feliciano didn't come on the same flight, he'll still be a few days. Oh you have to introduce me to this man I've heard so much about!" She spoke almost as quickly as Feliciano, and just as excitedly.

Lovino glanced over his shoulder and smiled briefly. Then he heaved a long-suffering sort of sigh and kissed his mother's cheeks. "Well, I might as well introduce you two. Come on."

Antonio was just grabbing one of their bags as they approached him. He turned around and grinned at the lady. "You must be Ms. Vargas! It's so nice to finally meet you! Wow, I can see where Lovi gets his looks from."

She tutted at him but smiled brightly all the same. Lovino just rolled his eyes. "Mama, don't listen. He's as big of a flirt as Grandpa."

"He'll fit right in then," she said with a little wink. Holding out a delicately manicured hand, she scooped up one of the duffel bags stacked on the handles, despite protests from the two. "The car is parked just outside."

Antonio followed them out, amazed at the sights there were to see. They drove for a while till they reached the vineyard, and he was practically plastered to the window the whole time. "This is amazing, it's so beautiful here!"

Lovino's mother smiled proudly, content to go on in her lilting Italian cadence about how well the vineyard was tended, how sweet the wine, and to Antonio's amusement, he discovered that Lovino was asleep. He probably had been for some time. He leaned back in the car, and gently moved Lovino so he was resting against him in a more comfortable position. He had grown very good at not waking him up when he didn't want to. "He didn't sleep at all on the plane," he explained easily.

"Poor thing," she sighed, her dark brown eyes moving over her son's relaxed form. "He's always been afraid of flying. It was terrible. We traveled so much when he was a child. And he does it so frequently now." She sighed. "It always makes traveling for business all the more stressful for him."

"Yeah, he was pretty tense. Hardly said a word the whole time we were up." Antonio smiled down to him, running his fingers through his hair in a way that always soothed him. "How much longer till we get there, do you think?"

"Only five minutes or so," she answered, and sneaking a glance out the window, pointed. Atop the highest hill of the massive, sprawling vineyard sat an estate the size of the courthouse in Antonio's hometown.

His eyes went wide at the size. How could anyone need a mansion that big? "Wow, that's huge! And it looks really old too. When was it built?"

"Oh, you will have to ask my father," she said, leaning back in the seat comfortably. "It's his summer home. But you may wish to keep your questions short and to the point. He does... go on."

Antonio chuckled at that. "Luckily, I love listening to stories." The car came to a stop, and he wondered if he should wake Lovino up or just try to carry him. But the choice was taken from him as the man blinked his eyes open and yawned.

"Hey," he sighed sleepily against Antonio's ear as his mother stepped elegantly from the car. "Let's go to the room and nap."

"Sounds good." Antonio got out of the car first, and waited for Lovino. Two men from the house came and grabbed all of their bags, and Ms. Vargas led them to their rooms so they could have their nap.

Lovino tossed their bags carelessly onto the floor at the foot of their (ridiculously enormous) bed and toed off his shoes before hopping in and curling up atop the blankets.

Antonio rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the smaller blankets, throwing it on top of him. "Just because you're too lazy doesn't mean you have to go cold." Then he curled up next to him, also under the spare blanket.

The Italian made a little grumbling noise and settled against Antonio, sticking his nose into the dip of Antonio's collar. "Shhh. Shh. Naptime." They had fallen to the gentle lull of drowsiness, but just as Antonio was nearly asleep, the door was thrown open and a tall man entered unannounced.

"Lovi! You didn't come see me when you got here!"

Growling more furiously than Antonio had heard him being in many months, Lovino grabbed one of the many ornate pillows and chucked it over Antonio's body at the door. "Go away! I'm trying to get a fucking nap in here!"

The older man caught the pillow before it hit him. "But it's already past siesta time! Come give your Grandpa a big hug! And then you must try this new wine we started, it's simply delicious!" He walked into the room, taking the blanket off them.

Antonio could feel rage coming off of Lovino in waves. Stubbornly, the young man stayed curled up in bed, shutting his eyes. "Go bug Francis or something, fuck. I haven't slept in forever. I'm exhausted. I will raid your gun cabinet if you don't give me until dinner to sleep, you old-ass fart."

Lovino's grandfather started pouting, and didn't look like he wanted to leave. Antonio pushed Lovino's shoulder a little. "Come on, let's go with him for a while. You can go back to sleep right after dinner, how about that?" The older man perked up and Lovino glared so furiously that, if Antonio was not used to it, he thought his skin might have started to peel.

"I. Am not. Moving. From this _fucking _bed until dinner. Do you understand me?"

Roma looked sad again, but then glanced at Antonio. "Alright, Lovi, you can sleep. I'll take your boyfriend on a tour of the vineyard then!" He grabbed the Spaniard's hand and tugged him out of them bed, hard.

"Close the door on your way out," Lovino called, and settled as the large door to the ornate guest room slammed shut.

Three hours later, Antonio sighed as he pushed open the door to their room, finally having been let go by Roma. They had been all around the whole vineyard, and it was beautiful, but it was so big. He looked in the room, and found Lovino reading on the bed. "Hey. You're not still sleeping?"

Lovino shrugged, scowling over at Antonio from under the covers. "Normally, you snore loud enough to drown everything else out," he said, "but since you were gone, people walking by in the halls kept waking me up. I'm exhausted."

He laughed and went to sit beside him. "Well, too bad. They'll be calling us for dinner in like ten minutes. Do you want to change into something else?" He gestured to the wrinkled clothes Lovino was wearing from his nap.

Rolling his eyes, Lovino flopped over onto his side. "No point. I'm gonna shower after dinner anyway. And then I'm going to hit this glorious sack. You'd better not run off on me this time."

"Of course I won't, because my Lovi can't sleep without me," Antonio cooed, hugging him tightly before he was pushed away.

"Whatever," Lovino sniffed. "You left me for my grandfather, you big pussy. I just need your snoring to drown everyone else out."

He rolled his eyes and let Lovino out of the bed. "Well how could I say no to him? He just wanted time with his grandson, and you were being mean. He's not that bad, you know."

"I love him and all, but he really knows how to ruin a motherfucker's nap." Lovino smoothed down his hair in the mirror and tucked in his shirt with a little sigh. "Okay," he said, nodding in Antonio's direction. "Let's go eat."

The dinner was fairly small, because they were some of the first to arrive. Luckily they could mostly sit where they wanted, and Lovino chose to sit away from his grandfather, so Antonio followed him. The Italian practically devoured his food, telling Antonio to do the same so he could go back up to bed.

"You're going to swallow your tongue if you keep eating like that," Esmeralda fretted from across the table, her delicate brow furrowed in worry. Lovino paused and obediently began to pace himself, taking one careful bite at a time to appease her.

"It's good that you still listen to your mother," Roma said boisterously to Lovino's left. The young man's complacent features hardened at that and he tilted his face up toward the woman across.

"So did you know that Grandpa has taken to rudely interrupting people in their private suites?" he said with a conversational sort of bite.

The old man gasped from across the table. "Well did you know that your son didn't even come to say hello to me? I couldn't wait, it's been at least two months since I've seen him!"

She chuckled and shook her head. "You two are at it again I see." Esmeralda looked to Antonio and leaned in like she was going to give him a big secret. "They've always butted heads, even since Lovino was a little boy. Hopefully when Feliciano gets here, it will give them something else to fret about."

"He doesn't _fret _over Feliciano," Lovino scoffed, glancing at the old man out of the corner of his eye. "He sort of... latches on to him. Like an unsightly virus."

Antonio tried to stop any fight from happening, so he took away Lovino's wine glass. "Alright, I think you've had enough of this. Maybe I should get you back to bed, hey?"

But it seemed it was too late, as Roma frowned at him. He said some quick words in Italian that Antonio could only guess at, but the shade Lovino's face turned was quite obvious.

The young man's retort was quick and sharp, and his mother looked startled across the table, but Lovino stood. "Yeah, let's go. Goodnight, Mama." He nodded toward Esmeralda and sent a curt glance toward Roma before moving swiftly from the room.

Antonio sighed at not being able to finish his dinner, but stood up anyway. "Um, the food was really good, thank you." He quickly ran out the door after Lovino, grabbing his arm to stop him just outside the dining room. "Are you two always like that?"

"No," Lovino growled in response, jerking his arm back and resuming his quick pace. "Normally, I avoid that smug face as often as possible."

He rolled his eyes, walking behind him. "I don't really see the problem. He seems like a nice guy, mostly." And Antonio definitely wouldn't want to get on his bad side.

Lovino's spine visibly stiffened before his pace quickened. "Yeah, well, you would."

"Oh, don't be like this, Lovi. Remember the deal: you have to talk to me, tell me what's troubling you." They got to their room, and Lovino was opening the door, but Antonio slammed it shut and stood against it. "You don't get along with him, I get that. But you seem to be taking it pretty hard."

"I am not going to do this in the _fucking _hallway," he hissed, stubbornly facing the door despite Antonio's attempts to turn his attention. "Back off. This has nothing to do with you."

He sighed and opened the door, because Lovino was right, the hallway wasn't the place to talk. "You can't push me away. I won't let you, and you know how persistent I can be," Antonio said with a smile, trying to soften him up a bit.

"Stop it. I'm not going to just fucking fold because you smile and give me those eyes. Fuck you. I'm going to have a shower and I'm going to sleep until noon." He lifted his suitcase from the floor and dropped in onto the bed, rifling through the layers of shirts to grab a pair of underwear.

But when he turned to go to the bathroom, Antonio was standing in his way, arms crossed. "Lovi, when we got together, you agreed that you would talk to me about this stuff and I would make it better. I could withhold sex or something."

He stared blankly at the ceiling. "Yeah, and you also told me you were going to be a manipulative little shit and flirt with other people. Because all of that's gone great so far."

"But it's the nice kind of manipulation. And, it's just flirting, I don't cheat. Need I remind you?" He asked, pointing to the tattoo. Antonio lifted a hand and put it on Lovino's shoulder. "Come on, it's not like I'm going to laugh or tell anyone. This will be just between us, alright?"

"No!" Lovino put a hand on the doorknob and glared right at the door. "I don't have to say anything I don't want to say, Antonio. So back the fuck up."

Antonio sighed and dropped his hands, stepping aside. "You know what, fine, keep everything bottled up, and act like a character in some stupid teenage love story. But you will have to learn eventually that you aren't alone, and there is someone here willing and very able to help you." He turned around and walked to the bed, searching through his own suitcase.

The bathroom door slammed and the lock clicked and the shower began to run.

It ran for quite some time, much longer than Lovino normally showered, and when he finally left the bathroom, he ignored Antonio completely in favor of curling up on his side of the bed.

The Spaniard also didn't say anything, knowing that at this point, anything he said would be met with even more resistance. Lovino did like to stay in his moods for a while, once he got in them. Antonio turned the page of his book, glancing over at him.

This continued for nearly half an hour, Antonio glancing at his lover after every page or so. The tense lines in Lovino's shoulders never faded or relaxed, and eventually he turned off the light to avoid staring at him.

Finally, Antonio put his book down and turned off the light. He really didn't want them to go to sleep if Lovino was still acting like this. So, Antonio rolled over,and kissed the bare shoulder peeking out of the covers. "I don't want us to fight. Kiss and make up?" He had no intention of apologizing, because he hadn't actually done anything wrong, but he could compromise and stop pushing for the brunet to talk about his problem.

"I'm trying to sleep," grumbled Lovino tetchily. "Not that I expect you to understand, since you seem so fucking incapable of reading me."

"Look, I won't ask you about you and your Grandfather anymore. Isn't that what you wanted? But we are not spending the rest of the trip fighting." He reached up and rubbed Lovino's neck the way he liked, wanting him to turn around but not about to force him.

A little huff followed, but Antonio could feel the tension begin to ease from Lovino's body. He didn't turn around, but he didn't push Antonio away, either. "Fine."

He was thankful that Lovino finally let it go, but he still didn't want to go to sleep like this. "Fine? That's all I get? That's not fair." The smile in his voice was obvious, showing that he was once again joking around, and Antonio then licked the back of Lovino's ear, teasing him.

"That's all you're gonna get!" Lovino snapped, shoving his face away. "I'm still mad at you. I'm going to stay mad until morning because I didn't get my nap. You can hug me if you want, but I get to stay like this until tomorrow."

Antonio sighed dramatically. "Oh Lovi, you break my heart." But he still wrapped his arms around his torso, bringing Lovino against his chest. Normally they cuddled face to face, but he could settle for spooning.

And of course, just like that, Lovino was out like a light in minutes. His deep, even breathing and gentle heartbeat slowly, slowly lulled Antonio to sleep just so.

* * *

><p>Sorry for any possible mistakes, I started like falling asleep half way through. This waking up early thing sucks.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

They woke up very late because of the time change, and even when he was awake, Antonio stayed just where he was, holding Lovino gently. The Italian was such a peaceful sleeper, and he looked so calm with his eyes closed and no wrinkles from stress. Lovino's eyelashes would tremble every so often as his eyes darted about in some dream or other, and sometimes he would make little noises, like a sigh or a grunt. Like he was close to talking in his sleep, but couldn't really be bothered.

Finally, there was a knock at the door. It hadn't woken Lovino, so Antonio carefully disentangled himself and went to the door. Outside was Esmeralda, holding a tray with some food. "Good morning! I brought you two some breakfast, didn't think Lovi would want to come downstairs for it."

"Oh, yeah, thanks." He took the tray from her and smiled and she left, her long skirt swishing with her hips.

When he returned, balancing the tray carefully, he found Lovino sprawled on his back, blinking up at him blearily. "Mmrgh," Lovino greeted elloquently.

"Good morning to you too. Breakfast in bed... looks like we have cheese, some fruit, a few croissants, some jam, and some wine. Wine for Breakfast. Of course." He put the tray down on the bed, grabbing a grape for himself.

Lovino stretched his arms above his head and settled them there over the pillows, closing his eyes again. "Shh. More sleep."

"Oh come on, you've more than made up for not sleeping on the plane. Come on, there's mangoes... And, of course, tomatoes. They know you well." Antonio took one, figuring that he should save it before Lovino ate them all.

"If it's still early enough for breakfast, it's too early to wake up. Tomato please." He held out one hand, palm-up.

But Antonio held them out of arms reach. "Nope, you are not eating a juicy tomato half asleep while on these sheets. These are expensive sheets, and that is not the kind of stain I was expecting to have to explain to your family."

"We won't be leaving any stains if you don't give me that damned tomato," Lovino grumbled, peeking through one eye at Antonio. "Don't think I'm joking. I'm serious as a heart attack."

He tried to keep a straight face, but the threat was too much. Antonio cracked and handed him a tomato. "Just be careful. And use a napkin. I know how to clean come off sheets, but when it comes to tomato juice, I'm clueless."

"Don't worry about it," he said, rolling his eyes as he took a bite. "The only things my grandfather goes through as fast as the bedding are his whores. This wouldn't make any difference."

Antonio almost said something, but he didn't want a repeat of last night so he stayed quiet and buttered one of the croissants. It didn't taste like it was from a store, it actually tasted homemade. Maybe they had a French chef or something?

Lovino polished off another tomato and a few grapes before rolling back and staring up at Antonio through his thick, dark eyelashes. "If we can go back to bed right after, you can have your dirty way with me," he said in a nonchalant, suggestive tone.

The Spaniard snorted. "Wow, subtle." But he just stood up and looked through his suitcase for his bathroom bag. "I, however, am in Italy for what is probably the only time in my life, and while I would love to have my dirty way with you, I'm not gonna waste this trip sleeping."

He watched as Lovino plumped his lower lip and rolled onto his side, moving just enough to allow the blanket to slip down to his bare, olive-toned hip. "We'll come to Italy at least once every year," he promised. His thumb traced idle circles in the patch of skin just inside the curve of his hipbone that Antonio knew from many hours of hands-on observation was soft as silk and warm to the touch. "Besides, to get the proper Italian experience, you're supposed to spend at least one entire day in bed, making love and sleeping and making sleepy love and then grabbing a bite to eat before doing it all over again."

Antonio leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Oh, you're gonna have to try a hell of a lot harder than that to seduce me. I don't just sleep with anyone that shows me a little skin and says naughty things to me, you know." He smirked, but the glance at where the blanket ended was fairly obvious.

Lovino shrugged and rolled over onto his back, stretching with a little arch to his hips that only lowered the blanket further, as well as the boxers slung low on his hips. He rubbed a hand innocently along his soft belly. "I think maybe you should lock the door," he suggested, eyes half-lidded and dark. "And tomorrow, I'll take you around. Cross my heart." He pantomimed the gesture, his thumb casually brushing a pert nipple on its way up.

Since he was close to the door, he just simply reached over and locked it. "Take me around... where, exactly?" Antonio lifted an eyebrow, pretending like he was still considering it, even though he already knew that there was no way he was going to turn this down.

Lovino shifted, a coy little smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "That depends," he offered cryptically.

"On what?" Antonio asked, slowly kneeling on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight.

"A few things..." Lovino opened his eyes, one knee lifting just slightly under the blankets. "Are you hoping for quality or quantity?"

He pretended to think it over for a minute. "Quality. I don't need you showing me around a shopping mall because there are a lot of things to see there." Which he knew Lovino would totally try to get away with.

Wetting his lips with a little flick of the tongue, Lovino smirked. "Then it will just depend on how you utilize this day spent in bed with the sexiest motherfucker you will ever meet. If I'm not both exhausted and well-rested, then we might accidentally find ourselves shuffling through the tourist traps."

Needless to say, they both got what they wanted. Lovino agreed that the next day, he would take him to the best damn sights within a two hour drive.

.oOo.

Golden sunlight lit the room in a pleasant, sleepy haze, and to Antonio's surprise, Lovino was the first one up. He rolled on top of the Spaniard and stared down at him expectantly. "Wake up," he demanded with a nip to Antonio's chin.

"Mmmm," he mumbled, reaching up and wrapping his arms around Lovino's waist. "Give me a minute. After yesterday, I'm used to sex after waking up. And then going back to sleep again." He had to admit, yesterday had been particularly amazing.

Smirking, Lovino leaned down and pressed a light kiss to one of the bruises on his lover's dark neck. "I told you," he breathed triumphantly, "it would be good."

He pushed himself up, moving Lovino up as well. "Right. But today is touring around right? I'm going to take so many pictures, it's going to be amazing!" Now that he had had a few minutes to wake up, Antonio was ready to go.

Rolling off of him, Lovino stretched, popping a few joints before sitting up and running a hand through his mussed hair. "Yeah, yeah. Wear something comfortable. I'm gonna go get us breakfast."

Antonio went for a quick shower, and when he came out, towel around waist, Lovino was just getting in the room with a tray of food. "That smells nice." He glanced at it and smiled. "For Italians, you guys eat a lot of French food."

Lovino rolled his eyes and set the tray down on the little table between the two bay windows. "My cousin takes over the kitchen when he visits. He's French. It's all so rich I could kill myself."

"Oh, that explains a lot. Oh yeah, I think I saw him at dinner, didn't I? The blond guy. Kept speaking French." He hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to him, with Lovino eating so fast and then storming off. Antonio grabbed a crepe that looked to be filled with something chocolate. "Oh god this is so good. The chocolate is so creamy!"

"Never tell him that," Lovino warned, sitting down at the tiny table. "He will turn it into all kinds of nasty."

Antonio laughed at that and went to put some clothes on. "So when is Feliciano getting here? We came pretty early." Which seemed a bit strange, since Lovino arrived first but didn't get along with his Grandpa.

"He texted me last night," Lovino answered, munching on a strawberry and checking his phone. "Said their plane comes in tomorrow afternoon. And we only came early because Grandpa sent us the tickets this way. Don't ask me why. I never know what's on his fucking mind."

"So he wanted to see you then. I think that's nice, isn't it?" Antonio finally pulled his shirt over his head and took a piece of fruit. "Alright, I'm ready! Where are we going first?" He was already looking forward to the day they would have, the things they were going to see.

"You'll see," Lovino answered briskly, grabbing a handful of the strawberries as he stood. "If you want to fit it all in, keep your head down and don't acknowledge anyone." He paused thoughtfully, shoving keys and his wallet into his back pocket. "Mama excluded."

And, of course, she was the first person they ran into. She smiled and gave them both a big hug, speaking in quick Italian. Then she seemed to remember Antonio. "Oh! Sorry, I was just telling Lovino how we missed you two at dinner last night."

Before the Spaniard could say anything, Lovino quickly cut in. "We were sleeping at the time," he said, glancing sharply at Antonio. "Enjoying the warmth of the sunset, Mama."

"Oh, yes, well hopefully you will be here for dinner tonight. Francis has convinced your Grandpa to let him have full reign for more than breakfast, so it should be good." She gave them one last pat on their shoulders and let them leave.

Quickly, they ducked out of the stately home and into the warm Italian sun. Instead of walking toward the cars, though, Lovino began to skirt the building. Antonio tagged along beside him curiously. Beyond the eastern wall of the building sat another, squatter structure, and Lovino knelt down to punch a code into the little box near the bottom of the wide garage door.

Antonio followed curiously. "Where are we going?"

The garage door began to crank itself upward and Lovino wiped his hands on his pants as he waited for it to have lifted out of his way, and once it had, he walked inside.

The room was dark and musty, and its three walls were covered in rows of shelves positively covered in tools and little bits of machinery. From one corner Lovino grabbed something from out of a cabinet and tossed it toward Antonio, who caught the round object instinctively. Upon observation, he found himself face to face with a helmet. "Put that on," Lovino instructed, and walked to the next wall, pulling a large tarp off of a sleek, but dated motorbike.

He lifted an eyebrow, but still strapped the helmet on. "Do you even know how to ride that thing? It doesn't even look like it can run." It probably wouldn't be street legal if they were back home. Of course, just because it was old didn't mean that it didn't work.

"Ye of little faith," Lovino chided, stroking one handlebar fondly. "This is my first love. She's the most beautiful thing in the world, and she's always served me well, so don't you fucking insult her by asking such a dumbass question. Of course you run, angel," Lovino purred. He strapped his helmet on and turned the bike toward the entrance, seating himself comfortably. "I checked her last night while you were sleeping. She's in perfect condition. Get on."

Antonio sighed. "So my love rival is a bike. Well, at least she can't cook for you." He got on and wrapped his arms around Lovino's waist, and whispered in his ear, "Or fuck you hard into the mattress."

Lovino snickered and turned the bike on, revving her engines before calling over his shoulder. "If she could, you wouldn't be around. Now hold on tight."

As they started moving, Antonio felt like he was close to falling off the back, which made him hold on tighter. It was amazing how such a little bump could make him think they were going to crash. But, after the first mile or so, he got used to it, and didn't have to hold on so tightly that it was making it difficult for Lovino to breath.

They zipped through traffic at ungodly speeds and around the bustling city of Rome, past towering, impressive tourist traps and ancient structures. Antonio took the time to gaze in awe at everything that surrounded them both, and Lovino dedicated himself to navigating the motorbike.

A few times he forced Lovino to pull over so that he could take a picture of something, which annoyed the Italian who complained that what he took pictures of were pretty boring compared to where he was going to take him.

Finally, when Antonio tried to get him to stop so he could take a picture of a fountain in the piazza, he ignored the plea completely, driving on. The day was mild and warm, with a few puffy clouds drifting in the open blue sky; perfect for pretending that his fully grown boyfriend wasn't whining in his ear about being unfair.

Antonio eventually grew bold enough to take one arm off Lovino, so he could take pictures on the move. He knew that they would turn out extremely blurry, but he just didn't want to miss some of these amazing places!

"We're almost there!" Lovino shouted, irked and somewhat nervous. He slowed down instantly, and waited for Antonio to hold onto him again, and until the Spaniard had secured his hold, he puttered along behind the rest of the traffic. "Don't do that again. We're nearly to the Vatican."

He was a little disappointed that Lovino didn't let him take more pictures, but he was excited they were going to the Vatican. He would be able to see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel! This was going to be amazing!

They stepped through a tall pair of doors into the massive building, sporting a dome and two towers. Lovino bypassed the line once inside, fishing something from his wallet and flashing it toward the young lady at the front. She hurriedly took his money and said something in quick Italian, to which he nodded and they entered the wide room beyond. Everything about the structure was massive and polished, from the floor with its patterns of tile to the arched windows high up toward the ceiling where bright sunlight shone through. Lovino nudged Antonio, and he snapped his jaw shut upon finding it loose. "Basilica di San Pietro," he said, shoving the wallet back in his pocket. "Saint Peter's Basilica. The great artist Michelangelo helped design it, you know. Come on."

Antonio was snapping pictures like crazy, trying to take everything in. It was all so old, and so beautiful, it was hard to absorb. "This place is amazing..." He looked at a few of the sculptures, amazed by how lifelike they were. Lovino was trying to hurry him along, which was a difficult task considering Antonio wanted to look at everything.

A tall bronze pavilion-esque structure captured Antonio's attention. Lovino watched him ooh and aah, and when the Spaniard took rapid-fire photographs like the most avid of tourists, he told him of the baldacchino's bronze columns, decorated with bees and olive leaves, emblems of Pope Urban, and the Eucharist, and he was near to silent when one of the brilliant rays of sunlight shining down from the window caught Antonio's hair as he stepped back. He murmured a little prayer and took Antonio's hand in the light of God, lifting the sun-darkened knuckles to his lips. "Ringrazio Dio per ti," he nearly hummed. At Antonio's wide-eyed look of confusion, he blushed and squeezed the hand before dropping it with a little stammer. "I thank God for you. L-let's go, there is more to see."

The Spaniard was practically gushing with happiness after that, and changed so that he made Lovino go in most of his pictures. When asked about it, he explained, "There are millions of pictures of these things, a lot of them are done by professional photographers. But only these ones have the beautiful Lovino Vargas." It was incredibly crowded with people, but Antonio was glad that Lovino had been able to get them in without waiting in that long line out front.

The young Italian, while photogenic, did not seem to have a face meant for smiling at cameras. He was flustered by the attention, and every time Antonio tried to drag him in for a photograph, he turned and insisted that they get a move on, lest he miss out on some great view or other during the trip. "If you want to see the Sistine Chapel, we should get there before lunch," he announced in front of the Pietà sculpture, touching his throat in reverence at the sight of the Holy Mother and Child. "And then we'll eat, and after... we'll see."

Antonio laughed and pulled him in for another picture. "Come on! I want to remember this trip, and I want to remember it with you!" After a few more pictures, though, he figured that they could go to the Chapel now, after all, he couldn't leave here without looking up at that ceiling.

"You keep talking like we'll never come back," Lovino said, rolling his eyes as they walked back outside. "There will be plenty of time to do everything again for years. Now hurry up; we're wasting daylight."

The Sistine Chapel was even more majestic than all the documentaries Antonio had ever seen on the ceiling could convey. An image on a screen could not adequately portray the breathtaking view painted all across the high, wide canvas.

He pointed at one of the men on the far wall. "I heard about that one! It looks like he's leaning back, but that part of the ceiling is tilted forward! Isn't that amazing?" Antonio looked a little closer at a few of the paintings, and started snickering. "They really liked painting small penises, didn't they?"

"What are you, twelve?" Lovino hissed, digging his elbow into Antonio's side. "This is a holy place. Don't be so crass."

"Then they shouldn't have painted penises everywhere!" Although he had to admit, small penises aside, the paintings were amazing.

"Michelangelo was gay, you know," Lovino said as they walked under the ornate, arched ceiling. "I don't think that has much to do with all of the genitalia, but it might be why he was so unabashed. I think it's about the beauty of God's creations. I don't know. Read the pamphlet."

Antonio grabbed his hand and brought it up to kiss the knuckles, then just held it by his side. "Why read the pamphlet when I have you?" He smirked at the blush across Lovino's cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up and look at the paintings," he grumbled, curling his fingers in between Antonio's. A group of finely-dressed and serious-faced young adults traipsed by, and he watched them pass. "A choir is going to practice," he said, a little smile lighting his face. "It's a great honor to perform in the Chapel. They must be special."

They stayed for a few songs, but Antonio started getting hungry, so he pulled Lovino out of the Chapel. "Alright, where are we going to eat? A pizza place? Have you thought of somewhere?" Antonio let his hand go when they got back to the motorcycle.

He took him to a little cafe tucked away out of Vatican city in a quaint, quieter part of Rome. The waitress spoke no English at all, but seemed to recognize Lovino, and returned quickly with two mugs of coffee. "Philippa makes the best coffee in the world," he announced with grave seriousness, smiling at the elderly waitress. "It's her fault that I'm addicted. Grazie, Philippa. Do you know what you want to eat?"

Antonio laughed as he looked at the menu. "It's all in Italian. How about you order for both of us." This was a nice little cafe, not a lot of people. He waited for Lovino to order, and then the waitress left, and they were on their own again. The only other people in the cozy restaurant were a pair of young women, sisters by the look of it, and a father accompanied by his young daughter. None of them paid the two men by the window any attention, which was probably a good thing, considering all the tiny noises Lovino made with every sip of the hot drink.

"If you don't stop that, I may have to take you to the bathroom to do naughty things," Antonio said, an eyebrow raised as he sipped his own coffee. But he had to admit, it was really good. It was different than normal American coffee.

"It's the best, though, isn't it?" Lovino sighed, watching the steam rise in coils. "When I was a teenager, every time I felt... less than pleasant during the summer, I would come here," he said quietly. "It was the one place I had that even Feli didn't know about. Philippa never coddled me when I was unhappy or scorned me when I was pretentious. She pumped me full of coffee and showed me how to bake. She made me look beyond myself and do things for other people. I was a selfish, spoiled little shit, but she kept me busy enough to forget my problems and relieve my tension, even for just an afternoon. I adore her."

Antonio's lip stuck out in a pout. "Well don't you sound like you're just in love. Why did you even move to America if Philippa was over here?" he teased. But Lovino looked away at that. His eyes turned toward the window, unfocused. Thin shoulders dipped in a shrug.

"Some things happened. Mama needed to breathe. Feliciano and I came with her, obviously. I was thirteen and he was only ten at the time. I'd been pulled out of my studies abroad in Turkey, and the story we gave was that we were going to study in America for the unforeseeable future."

"And your mother came back to live here?" Antonio stirred his coffee, looking over at him. It had always confused him why only the two brothers lived in America while the rest of the family was over here. It was actually amazing that their over protective Grandfather let them live so far away.

"Well, not here," Lovino said. leaning on his elbow. "She has a small home in Orvieto. It's quiet, and without the pressures of Grandpa and raising two demanding children on her own, her stress levels are much lower. I think she's happier and healthier there than she has been in years. She's even gained a little weight."

He nodded, starting to understand. "So before, your mother's health wasn't so good? Well, at least she seems fine now." Although he could tell, now that he knew, that she was a little thinner than she should be, and with the stress of having two kids, not to mention one of them was blind, raising them on her own... "Hey, do you guys have a father at all? Obviously he doesn't live here, but did you ever know him?"

The young man across from him tensed, and as luck would have it, Philippa returned then with two steaming bowls of gnocchi and a thick, creamy sauce. "Grazie, bella," he said, kissing the back of her hand and she clucked her tongue before leaving them to it. Antonio sighed, figuring he would never get it out of Lovino when there was food as a perfectly good distraction. They started eating, and he practically moaned at the taste.

"You know, I think this is better than Feliciano's pasta. See? He isn't the best in the world. There is always someone better."

Lovino grinned briefly at that. "It's true," he agreed with a little laugh. "Anything Philippa makes is a masterpiece. She would be the godmother to my children if I had any inclination to breed."

"We could always adopt. Maybe a little baby girl? You would be the cutest father ever." Antonio grinned over at him, twirling some of his pasta on his fork. Under the table, he ran his foot along Lovino's ankle, right where his shoe stopped.

"Yeah, right," Lovino snickered, nudging Antonio's foot right back. "We'd fuck up a kid so bad. Fat from all the food, abandonment issues because of our schedules, probably start drinking before she got out of primary school... I could go on."

"Oh come on, I think we would do good. We would adopt a kid that was maybe a few years old, like two or three, and I'm sure we could rearrange our work schedules so that at least one of us is home all the time." Antonio leaned back in his chair, absentmindedly slipping his hand in his pocket, fingering the small box in there. Maybe now...?

"If you ever try to make me into a housewife, I will slit your throat," he said simply, piercing a noodle and popping it into his mouth.

And just like that, the mood was gone. Antonio took his hand out of his pocket and returned to eating. Really, it shouldn't be this difficult. They were in Italy, so why couldn't he find a romantic enough moment?

Despite his tone and blunt, if empty, threats, Lovino's ankle gently nudged his under the table. "I don't see why you'd want a kid, though," he said. "You're a dog person. Aren't dogs for people who don't want kids?"

"Why can't I have both?" He shrugged, still smiling. "So, you're not exactly holding up your end of our deal. You said we wouldn't go to the tourist places. The Vatican is the most touristy place here. It was amazing, but I don't need a native Italian to take me there."

"Yeah, yeah, that was just the beginning," Lovino sniffed. "I hope you're not complaining. I could just push you off some ancient ruin or other."

"Aw you wouldn't do that! How would you live without me?" He fluttered his eyelashes, and burst out laughing soon after when Lovino gave him a scandalized stare. "Alright, well we're almost finished eating, hurry up and we can go."

"You're such a pushy little shit," Lovino said, rolling his eyes. "Enjoy the moment, will you?"

Philippa came by when Lovino caught her eye and when he stood, she swept him up against her bosom and patted his back, now covered in flour. He made a strangled noise and finally, she let him go. They went off in Italian, and Antonio couldn't help but laughing at the look on Lovino's face. But soon after that, she let them go, and they were once again on the bike, Antonio cuddling up to his back. He couldn't put his head on his shoulder because of the helmets, but he got as close as possible.

Briefly, Lovino touched his arm before revving the engine and rocketing away from the little cafe.

The bath ruins were strangely empty, and Antonio wondered if they were supposed to be there at all as Lovino lead him through the ancient ruins. It looked like a Dr. Suess book, he thought to himself, gazing up at the uneven heights of the bits and pieces of structure.

Antonio ran up to one of the arches, feeling the stone. "This is amazing," he said in awe. And then he bit his lip, looking at a piece of rock that was about the size of a small apple, sticking out of the wall, looking like it could be easily broken off from centuries of weather. "Hey, help me get this off! I want to take a piece of Rome home with us!" He got a rock that was just lying on the ground and tried to know the piece he wanted.

Lovino's eyes widened and he looked around hastily before hissing, "Are you insane? You can't deface an ancient artifact! Put that down! We'll go buy a snow globe or something, shit!"

"No, it'll be fine! To everyone else, it's just a rock." Besides, it was a sturdy wall, still pretty intact, it wasn't going to crumble just because he took this one stone out. "Damn I should have brought something to get this out with..." It started wiggling a bit more, and with a little more force, Antonio stumbled back as it came free of the wall. "Yes!"

"Put it back!" Lovino said, grabbing his arm urgently. "You could be arrested for this! Fuck, shit, I can't believe you broke it off, just... just put it back!"

He smirked, and shook his head. "No one's around, don't worry. Look, we'll just put this in the saddle bag on your bike, and no one will ever know." Antonio pulled Lovino in for a kiss, and after a few seconds, pulled back. "It'll be our little secret."

Lovino faltered, his brows drawn taut with confusion. Then he shook his head. "They'll confiscate it in the airport," he said.

"No they won't. They wouldn't know it was from here, as far as they know, it's just a rock. Plus it'll be hidden in my bag." As long as he didn't bring it in his carry on, it should be fine. Antonio took a few more pictures, making Lovino stand where he wanted him.

"I'm not taking you anywhere else today," Lovino growled as they made their way back to the bike. "I can't believe you'd do something like that. I can't believe I'm letting you."

He put the rock in the bag and grabbed his helmet. "Oh come on, you can't tell me you've never done anything illegal before." He looked at Lovino's face, and raised an eyebrow. "No way. Don't even. Everyone has broken the law sometime! Never shop lifted? Gotten high? Graffiti? Nothing?"

"You must be out of your mind," Lovino exclaimed, astonished. He shook his head and fitted the helmet, settling himself on the bike. "Hurry up. We're burning daylight. I want to get that thing hidden as soon as possible."

Antonio climbed on behind him, holding tightly. Soon he couldn't say anything even if he wanted to, the wind rushing past their ears. Fifteen minutes passed, and Antonio vaguely recognized the road back to Roma's mansion and could even see the rows of vineyard in the distance, but Lovino took a swift turn off the main road that had Antonio clinging tightly to him. When they stopped, it was just a dead end of a dirt road, surrounded by trees and tall grass. Antonio looked around. "Um... are we lost?"

Climbing off the bike, Lovino took off his helmet and stared at Antonio warily. "... I want you to promise you won't steal anything else first," he muttered gravely.

"Scouts honor. I already have the perfect souvenir." Antonio smirked and unbuckled his own helmet, putting it on the seat of the bike. "So we haven't gotten lost then?"

"No, you idiot," Lovino huffed, pocketing his keys.

The dirt path was so thin and vague, it could easily be overlooked, but Lovino seemed to know exactly where he was going. He led Antonio through a path of trees and into a patch of forest, gazing at tree after tree that they passed, backpedaling once or twice, and this lasted for the better part of a half hour but finally, finally he stopped. "There she is."

"Oh..." Antonio made the sound without thinking, his mouth falling open slightly. Through the thick foliage stood a statue of what must have been a beautiful woman many, many years ago. She had since fallen over, a few parts broke off, and moss covered a good part of her. It was almost as if she was becoming part of the forest. "Wow... she's amazing."

"Once," Lovino said, strolling up to the stone sculpture, "when I was little, I did something stupid and I was chastised... accordingly. I ran away into these woods, thinking that maybe I could be like a storybook character- I could somehow survive in the wilderness, all on my own, with no one to yell at me or tell me what to do. I didn't get very far, obviously, but I found... her." He touched a mossy thigh with the pads of his fingertips. Then he shrugged his shoulders.

"Of course I got scared and ran back to the main road when it got dark, but I made sure to find my way back when I needed time to myself. Away from people. Sometimes to study. Sometimes to pray. I did bring Feliciano here, though. He thought it was very peaceful, as well. But Feliciano can find peace wherever he happens to be."

Antonio looked at her face, missing a nose of course. "So... this is like your special place. And, technically, I'm the first person who has seen this with you." He looked over at him, yes, he could ask now, now would be the perfect time. "Hey Lovi..."

Lovino's features brightened and for a moment, Antonio was sure that Lovino could feel it too- the mood, perhaps even what Antonio intended to ask, and when a mischievous smile broke out over Lovino's face, he was almost certain he'd get an affirmative and a little something extra, but all his hopes were shot when the Italian opened his mouth. "Holy shit, I forgot; there's a little pond about a half a mile away, perfect for catching frogs. That was half my childhood in a nutshell. Come on, I'll show you!"

"Catching frogs? What the hell is wrong with you?" Antonio muttered, being pulled along. Damn, Lovino kept ruining the mood! How was he supposed to get a romantic moment alone when he was dating someone who's sole purpose was to piss on anything and everything romantic? But Lovino's spirits weren't dampened in the slightest. "Come on, don't tell me you're afraid to get a little dirty. This is way more fun than anything you were planning to do, I'm sure."

"Right yeah, frogs, how could I resist?" Antonio couldn't help it if it came out sarcastic. He followed along, and they came to the pond. Well, he said pond, but it was really more of a marsh. Muddy, and looking just solid enough in parts to trick you into thinking you won't get the bottom of your pants wet. And sure enough, there were frogs jumping around everywhere.

And Lovino - Lovino in his very nice, very designer clothes - simply rolled the jeans up to his knees and tossed his shirt haphazardly over the branch of a tree before trekking straight into the muddy water.

Antonio decided to just watch while he tried to catch a frog. "This is really what you want to do? You know we could just like, buy a frog from a pet store back home or something. You're not twelve years old anymore."

"I'm not going to keep it," Lovino said, crouching down and searching through the muck with his hands. "What if it's a mother with a bunch of little babies? I just want to catch it. Like fishing for sport."

"What if you catching it scares the mother frog so much that it gives her a heart attack?" Antonio asked, crouching down. "...And frogs just lay eggs! I don't think they take care of their young."

"You're supposed to be the whimsical one," Lovino griped, flicking water in Antonio's direction. "Now shut up and let me be a child."

He laughed and made a poke at a frog that was fairly close to him. "Yeah, I'm the whimsical one, which is why it's strange seeing you trying to catch frogs. Don't try to have a romantic day sight seeing with me, no- you have fun with those frogs."

"I had a romantic day of sight-seeing, and in that time you managed to commit more to film than to memory, and you stole a piece of ancient architecture... while I took you out for orgasmic food and a walk in the forest. I believe of the two of us, I've been significantly more romantic today."

"Well that's not my fault." Antonio muttered, mostly to himself. So maybe he was getting a little frustrated. Maybe he should just do it, and damn the romance.

But the romantic inside Antonio wouldn't let him. This was only the third day. Surely he would find a perfect time.

"Ah!" Lovino cried, and lifted his hands triumphantly. "Look, fuck, two of them!" He grinned wildly, holding them up for Antonio to see. And then, just gazing at the look of pure accomplishment on Lovino's face from just catching a pair of frogs in a muddy pond - the man who practically ran a company by himself, orchestrated a large branch of it, at the very least - all Antonio could see was a lonely little boy who craved affirmation. How often had he come down alone to the dark, green woods and cried out with excitement when he caught a slippery little creature, only to have no one around to see? Had he congratulated himself, or had he decided that it didn't really matter after all?

So, he couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. "Good job! I have the best frog catching boyfriend in the world." Antonio stood up straight, watching Lovino let the frogs go free. "Should we head back? Your mom wanted us there for dinner."

Still grinning broadly, Lovino tried to rinse the mud off of his hands with less-muddy water and stood. His face and shoulders were speckled with mud, and his undershirt was ruined, but that didn't seem to faze him in the least. "Yeah, let's get back. We'll need to shower. Dibs on the first."

"Nope, sorry. For the first time in a while, we have access to a shower big enough for both of us. Which means that we're gonna shower together, because that is my right as your boyfriend." Antonio put his hands in his pockets, not wanting to hold hands since Lovino's was muddy, but still walking side by side with him.

"You're lucky I'm in a mood good enough to want to share my shower time with you," Lovino sniffed. He draped the shirt over his shoulder and snatched up his shoes and socks with one hand, taking Antonio's hand out of his pocket despite the Spaniard's protests. "My right as your boyfriend," he hummed.

He sighed, squeezing his fingers around it. "Good thing neither of us is afraid of germs then." But it still made his heart warm at the fact that Lovino wanted to hold his hand, and had actually initiated the act for once.

Lovino shoved his socks and shirt into the saddle bag once they had reached the motorbike and slid the shoes on his feet before driving them both out onto the main road and back toward his grandfather's summer home.

One of the young, slim members of the housekeeping staff chastised Lovino when he walked in covered in mud, but a few of the older ones smiled knowingly and called to Lovino in Italian, and even then he could only grin back and respond cheerfully. The smile didn't leave his face even when they stumbled into the bathroom, stripping themselves of their clothing, nor when Antonio pulled him under the hot spray of the shower, kissing him soundly.

.oOo.

At dinner that night, the long table was about half full with people, the rest set to arrive the following day. There were no names on the spots, so Lovino took a seat about half way down the table, before his mother spotted them, and motioned for them to sit closer to the end with her and Roma. The old man himself was still talking, but he was heading over to his seat at the head of the table.

Brushing the auburn bangs from his forehead, Lovino complied for his mother's sake and settled beside her, smiling indulgently when she looked him over. "Lucia said she saw you covered in mud earlier," she said conversationally. He nodded.

"We had an... interesting day," he said, accepting a small kiss on his cheek. "We didn't even have time to siesta."

"Really? Well, I guess you got enough sleep yesterday." She took a sip of her wine, smiling over at Antonio. "So he took you to nice places? Did you have fun?"

Antonio smiled pleasantly at her. "Yeah, we had a great time. It was... interesting, like Lovi said." Once everyone was sitting, Roma clapped his hands for the food to be brought out.

An elderly woman murmured something to Lovino when she placed a bowl of thick soup in front of him and he laughed softly, gently squeezing her hand briefly after she ran it through his hair.

"Dorotea," he said to Antonio when she walked away, "was my... nanny, you might say. It's hard for her to climb stairs now, so she only stays on the first floor. She travels only when she has to, and sleeps by the kitchen because the extra heat is good for her joints. Or so she tells me."

"Right. That's... nice. Nice that you care about your elders." The smile Antonio gave was playful. He had never seen Lovino quite like this. He was still happy from catching the frogs, which was strange because he was sitting only a couple seats away from his Grandpa.

Lovino snorted. "I don't care about my elders," he said. "I care about certain people, and she happens to be one of them."

"She has you to thank for keeping her limber for so long," Esmeralda chimed in, stirring her soup. "I remember when you were very small, and she would chase you up and down the halls after your baths because you hated getting dressed. You'd come shooting out of the bathroom as naked as the day you were born the minute you had the opportunity. Traumatized your aunt, I remember that. Poor dear never did have children after spending a summer with you."

Antonio snorted a little, looking at his plate. "Completely naked? That's so cute~" He reached over and pinched Lovino's cheek before he pushed him away.

She smiled over to her son. "Oh yes, neither of my boys liked clothes very much. He would do almost everything naked."

"They did everything together," Roma chuckled on Lovino's mother's other side. "Even painting, if you can believe it."

"Grandpa."

"It's a shame Lovino's self confidence is stuck in that vacuous state-"

"Nonno."

Lovino glared sharply at the older man, his cheeks tinted red. "That's enough," Esmeralda said softly, sparing a glance down the rest of the long table that had quieted suspiciously.

Roma laughed loudly, obviously not sensing the tension. "What's wrong? I'm sure everyone heard about you burning all you paintings."

Antonio's eyes widened as Lovino quickly stood up, slamming his hands on the table, and strode out of the room. The Spaniard bit his lip, looking after him. He wanted to know more about that, because it was obviously a big deal, but he didn't want to push. Quickly, he followed after his lover.

Halfway down the hall, Lovino suddenly stopped and spun around. His face was set in that ignited spitfire manner, and Antonio grabbed his arm when he made to walk back to the dining room. "Let me go," he growled, baring his teeth at Antonio. "I'm going to go break his smug little fucking nose."

Antonio firmly wrapped his arms around Lovino, holding him there. "I won't let you go, I know you would just regret it." They struggled, Lovino trying to get away, but Antonio was bigger. Eventually, Antonio was able to coax the volatile young man back to their suite, holding onto him all the while. Lovino did not meet his eyes, and immediately went to the right window when Antonio let him go. He curled up on the cushion and stared out the window.

The Spaniard sat down on the bed, knowing enough not to bring up what happened downstairs. "Are you excited for Feliciano coming in tomorrow? I think he's coming in the afternoon, so if you want we can do some stuff before then."

"Yeah," Lovino murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Mama misses him, too. Feliciano tells me all the time how often she calls. He had some test to take today, though, and Grandpa knew about it when he sent the tickets. He'll have done well."

Well, it was a good thing that he was talking, instead of just closing down. "That's good. It's nice that you get to spend so long with your family."

"Is it?" He snorted and rubbed his knuckles over his furrowed brow. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe." Looking up from his hand, Lovino finally met Antonio's eyes. "You're probably still hungry. I left... abruptly. You didn't have to follow. You should go back."

But he shook his head, and went to go sit down beside Lovino, leaning against him. "I'm not going to leave you here. Especially not when you're feeling like this." Hopefully Lovino was a bit more open today, so he wouldn't freeze up at that.

He did not push Antonio away when a hand curled against his, and even leaned into him until his head was cradled in the crook of Antonio's shoulder. Though he waited patiently for some sort of explanation, Lovino never gave one. So, Antonio didn't push. He was curious, and really thought it would help Lovino if he talked about it, but it would most likely just turn out like last time. Maybe, eventually, Lovino would freely tell him why he apparently burnt all his paintings, which seemed strange. It made Antonio a little bit sad to think about.

"Is that why you didn't want Feliciano to talk about it?" he asked after a long, easy silence. Lovino shifted, his hand tightening briefly in Antonio's.

"I didn't think you'd remember that." Antonio could feel the warmth of Lovino's breath against his throat.

He held him closer. "I tend to remember when you don't want me to hear something." Antonio lifted a hand, rubbing Lovino's cheek lightly. He could feel Lovino close his eyes, eyelashes tickling the heel of his palm.

"I don't like remembering it. It's mortifying. Which is why that ancient bastard never misses an opportunity to bring it up. Mama doesn't know the whole story," he muttered. "And Grandpa downplays and exaggerates where he sees fit. Manipulation and sadism. He's a business man to the core when it comes to... some things."

Antonio moved them a little, putting Lovino's legs over his own. "You also said he used to be in the army. That must be hard to live with." The Italian made a noise of confirmation against his chest. "So... What is the whole story? If you want to tell me, of course."

Lovino was quiet for a long while. The antique grandfather clock by the ornate wardrobe ticked with every second that passed, and with every little stroke of his thumb down Lovino's wrist, Antonio could feel the pulse of every steady heartbeat.

"There's not much to tell," he said quietly, just after the clock struck eight. "I painted a lot when I was a kid. It helped me relax. You wouldn't think it now, but Feli used to get frustrated a lot when he was little; people treated him differently, of course. The maids and housekeeping staff smothered him, and while he was mostly used to coddling, he would throw tantrums sometimes. He felt smothered because they wouldn't let him do anything. Whether it was to make his life easier or to keep him from getting hurt, I don't know, but because of it, he got bored easily. So I gave him some of my fingerpaints, and he loved them. He loved the feel of them and he loved smearing them all over a canvas.

"Grandpa... never had time to see my paintings. I was just a little kid, no talent to speak of, and he was a busy man. But he knew that I painted. I used to crave his approval like it was oxygen and I was drowning. He knew. For years, he promised to come see, eventually- he used to use that word a lot, until I realized what it really meant - but he was always too tired, or too busy, or too drunk. I wasn't really on his list of priorities. So I worked hard to paint well, and I spent hours a day trying to make something beautiful that might make him see that I was good, and that even I could do at least one thing well." Antonio felt Lovino's fingers, long and slim, curl tighter around his. "But the instant that he heard that Feliciano had started to paint, he took a flight from fucking Venice to come see. Venice! And I... I was young and angry, and so I took all of the paintings I'd ever done and burned them. I got in trouble, because I accidentally set fire to the rug and the curtains, and that's the only reason he even knows at all."

Antonio bit his lip, knowing that whatever he said could easily hurt Lovino right now, and he had to be careful. He squeezed him a little tighter, burying his face in Lovino's dark hair. "You... deserved a happier childhood. I wish I could have grown up with you. I love you, and I always will, I promise. I would come from half way around the world to see your paintings." He knew that no one had intentionally treated Feliciano better, and they couldn't really be blamed, but Lovino deserved so much more love than they had ever given him.

He felt Lovino shudder and held him tighter.

"That's such a stupid thing to say," Lovino muttered thickly. "Not that I paint anymore, but if I did, I'd just send it to you." He cleared his throat and ducked his head. "If we'd been kids together, maybe you wouldn't have bitched so much about catching frogs."

"If we had been kids together, you wouldn't have had to catch frogs on your own," Antonio said quietly. "Why don't you try it again? Painting I mean. If you enjoyed it as a kid, you would still like it, right?"

"No," Lovino answered quietly, but firmly. "I'm too busy for that. It'll only distract me from my work. The old man's set to kick the bucket any year now, if we're lucky, and I can't afford to let the business fall behind before I have to take over for him."

Antonio gave a small smile at that. "Right." He did think it would be a good idea for Lovino to paint again. It might help him calm down sometimes.

And they were quiet again, the mood far lighter than it had been since before dinner, and Lovino looked up from Antonio's chest into his eyes. "Let's go to the kitchen," he said, pressing a little kiss to Antonio's jaw. "We can find something to eat."

He nodded, and they stood up, Antonio putting an arm around Lovino's waist. "And maybe we can bring up some dessert. I caught a peek of it and whatever it is, it looks delicious." Probably way too much sugar, but he wasn't about to complain.

The kitchens were empty, except for a couple of young ladies scrubbing pots and pans in the enormous sinks, and Lovino pulled open one massive refrigerator door to browse the leftovers. "What are you hungry for?" he asked, brushing his nose against Antonio's cheek when the Spaniard rested his chin on Lovino's shoulder.

"There's some garlic bread. But can we have something that isn't pasta? Seriously, I don't know how your family stays so thin when that's all you eat." He saw a few tomatoes and grabbed them.

"Metabolism," Lovino said, swatting Antonio's hip. "We have plenty of dishes that aren't pasta, but almost none of them are low in carbs. But it's all delicious." He reached inside, pulling out various Tupperware containers and glancing inside. "There's soup... lemon chicken... strawberries..."

He smirked, holding Lovino around his hips. "Wanna skip dinner and go straight for dessert?"

"Does dessert include tomatoes?" Lovino asked right back, nuzzling Antonio's neck and gifting him with a biting kiss. He only pulled back when the young maids began to titter on the other side of the room.

"Only if you want it to." Antonio whispered against his ear, grabbing the strawberries and some whipped cream and closing the fridge. He also grabbed the tomatoes and put them in the crook of his arm, knowing that Lovino would probably eat them later for a snack.

Glancing over to make sure the girls had turned their backs, Lovino gently pushed his hips against Antonio's and kissed him chastely. "I always do."

They practically raced back to the bedroom and once inside Lovino rolled into bed, his eyes bright and cheeks flushed with excitement. He watched Antonio awkwardly crawl in after him with the fruits piled in his arms and snickered, meeting him halfway for a deeper, longer kiss. But he pulled back after a few seconds with a grunt. "I'm seriously going to drop something," Antonio grumbled, and went over to the table where he dumped everything. Then he held up the tomato. "If you want to save these for later, we can get to the fun stuff."

"Fun stuff?" Lovino repeated, crawling over to the edge of the bed. He reached out and grabbed a strawberry, taking a big bite of the ripe, red fruit.

Antonio smiled, and followed him, taking the strawberries and whip-creme with him. "Yup, really fun stuff." Quickly, he took Lovino's shirt off, and pushed him down on the bed. Then he took a strawberry in his mouth, trailing it up Lovino's torso, twice around each nipple, and dangled it above the Italian's mouth.

Lovino leaned up, taking a bite off the thick ridge with a little glare. "That's cold, you bastard." He licked his lips and moved for another bite.

The fruit dropped into his mouth, and Antonio was grinning above him. "Oh, was it? Well, what about this?" He took the lid off the tub of whipped cream, dipped a finger in so he got a big dollop on his finger, and trailed it down the center of Lovino's chest, before licking it off. The warm body gave a shudder, and Antonio watched as goosepimples broke out over his smooth skin. Lovino whimpered low in his throat and Antonio could practically see his nipples harden. "Colder! Fuck."

"Oh, but you like it." Antonio purred, getting some more cream and spreading it over Lovino's nipple, sucking it off this time. "If you say please, I might put the whipped cream elsewhere," he said suggestively, rubbing the bulge in Lovino's pants.

The young man's hips picked the perfect time to arch upward, and he gasped. "Mmmph, shit, fuck, yesss." He tangled his fingers through Antonio's hair and pulled him up to suck greedily at his lips.

Antonio worked on getting Lovino's pants off, as well as his boxers, and once they were on the floor, got the whipped cream and spread it over the head of his cock. And, just for fun, took a small strawberry and placed it on top. "Best ice creme Sunday ever."

Growling, Lovino took the strawberry and shoved it into Antonio's mouth. "You're so fucking weird," he accused. "Stop fucking around and suck my cock."

"Say please~" Antonio said around the strawberry, but at the look he got he sighed. "Fine, don't say please. You have no table manners." He started with a lick, getting a taste of the cream, and swirled around the head, sucking most of it off. It twitched and hardened further under his tongue, and Lovino barely muffled the long moan curled in his throat. He closed his eyes and tilted his hips up toward Antonio's mouth.

"Fuck, Antonio... yes..."

He got some more of the whipped cream, savoring the sweet-salty taste on Lovino's cock. Then he took the whole head into his mouth, sucking it as he hollowed out his cheeks. With his hands, he started to play with his balls. Lovino gasped and writhed about under him, his toes scrambling about by Antonio's thighs. "Oh- oh, fuck, please... so good..."

Antonio took his mouth off, only to start sucking at his balls, pulling the skin into his mouth, which he knew made Lovino go crazy. It didn't take long for Lovino to grow tired of the wretched, fantastic teasing and before Antonio could get a grip on the situation, Lovino had flipped him over onto his back and moved to straddle his waist.

"I'll show you to fucking tease, you bastard," he growled, grabbing the whipped cream that Antonio had discarded.

All Antonio could do was grin in anticipation.

.oOo.

The next day, Antonio woke up to Lovino running around the room. It seemed like it was passed noon already, but he was moving really fast. It wasn't like they had anything planned. "Where's the fire?"

"I can't find my underwear. Dammit, Antonio, where did you throw it last night?" He threw back the covers and dropped them when he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"You have more pairs of underwear." He sat up in the bed and looked through Lovino's bag, grabbing a clean pair. "Why are you rushing? I didn't think Feliciano's plane got here until, like... two."

Lovino grunted. "We're not going to pick him up. The driver's going to get him. And I don't want anyone finding my underwear in some random place if I don't find it myself!"

Antonio laughed and rolled his eyes. A flash of red made him pause. "Found them." He pointed to one of the light fixtures that was attached to the far wall, the underwear hanging off of it.

He was graced with a dry, unamused stare before Lovino went to pull the underpants off. "You were fairly enthusiastic, I see."

"Well, I really wanted my dessert. Speaking of which..." He got up and went to the table, grabbing one of the last few strawberries and popping it in his mouth. "These are so good! They taste way better than store-bought."

"If anything, we do garden very well," Lovino agreed, taking a tomato from the table and biting into it. He wiped away the reddish juice that dribbled down his chin and gazed out the window. "Would you like to see the vineyard?"

He looked out the window at all of the trees. "Sure, we can. But if it's just vines, is there really that much to see?" Maybe that could be romantic enough? But when he looked outside, he noticed that it was kind of clouded over, so it wouldn't be as romantic as he wanted.

"Actually, it's... nice." Lovino took another bite and gazed out over the vineyard. "I want to take a walk anyway. You don't have to come if you think it'll be too boring."

"I'll come. What's the point of being in Italy with you if we're not together?" Antonio started getting dressed, finishing off the strawberries while he did it. "So, do you think you'll be able to stand another few days of being here? Last night got a little tense."

"Feliciano commands everyone's attention," he said with a little nod, pulling on his shoes and socks. "Grandpa won't have the mind to tease me once he's here. Besides, it's time off work. I'm going to enjoy myself."

Antonio pulled his shirt on, and he was ready to go. "I'm here so you can't help but have fun." He chuckled a bit, and opened the door to let them out into the hallway. Luckily, with all of the people they passed, none of them knew them enough to talk.

Lovino led him through the rows and hills of the vineyard, the air pressing hot and rich against them. Sweat poured slick and even over them and made their skin shine as soon as the sun came out from behind the clouds, dappled in the leaves. Antonio watched as they walked through different types of grapes, amazed at the varying shades and colors. He tried a few of them, but they were incredibly bitter, and the skin was really thick. "So where do you make the wine?"

"We have a few places, all in Italy," he said, ticking a few locations off on his fingers. "But we conduct business from multiple points. Like where I work." He popped a grape into his mouth and sucked on the juice that flowed when he bit into it.

"Right. That's pretty cool." Antonio leaned up against one of the posts, smiling at him. "My Lovi, such a successful business man. It's strange, though. Why do you work with your Grandfather if you hate him so much?"

Lovino regarded him for a long minute before giving a little shrug and picking another grape from a vine. "I don't... hate him. And even if I did, I'm the heir to the company. It's my responsibility."

"You don't hate him? So storming out on dinner both times we've eaten with everyone was just a coincidence then?" Antonio laughed a little, wanting to keep the mood light. After all, it was only the middle of the day.

"I didn't do it because I hate him," he said, rolling his eyes. "I did it because I'm old enough now that if he starts shit like he always has, I finally have the power to get up and walk away. When I was a brat, I had to sit and just take it, but at least this beats the alternative." He took another grape before clarifying. "Scooping his eyes out with a dessert spoon."

Antonio laughed outright at that, bending over. "How can you say that and that you don't hate him, in the same instance? In my family, if you don't like someone, you can just not speak to them!"

"Yeah, well, obviously our families are different. I can't just not speak to him." He wiped the sticky, dark juices from his fingers off on his jeans. "Tried it once. It upsets Mama."

"And you would never want to upset Mama." Antonio said sarcastically. "It's amazing how protective you are of her. Not that that's a bad thing, of course." He sat on one of the posts that was free of vines, which gave him a slightly elevated view and he could see the house nicely.

"She was a single mother taking care of two little shits who were challenging on a thousand different levels. Of course I am. It's finally her time to sit back and enjoy life."

Antonio looked at his watch absentmindedly. "I understand, who doesn't love their mothers?" He tried standing up on the post to get a better view of the house, trying to see if there was a car there heralding the arrival of Feliciano and Ludwig. He didn't stand completely, but he did get a better view.

"Get down from there before you fall and break your neck," Lovino said, strolling leisurely back toward the manor.

He chuckled and jumped down. "I actually have amazing balance. In another life, I might have been a tight rope walker." Antonio followed him back to the house, but it looked like the car had already been here for a while. Feliciano and Ludwig were no where in sight.

When the first blast of cool air from the air conditioner swept over their damp bodies, Lovino began to shiver. "Shower," he said, rubbing the gooseflesh on his arms. "Come on. We'll make it hot."

"Oh, we'll make it hot alright," Antonio said with a grin, following him to their room.

.oOo.

After dinner, when the Vargas brothers, Ludwig, and Antonio followed the Vargas elder into a quiet little study, Antonio immediately picked up on Lovino's defensive posture, and despite his sharp words and tone, it was obvious that he was composing himself fairly well. But when Roma dismissed Feliciano and Ludwig, he grew noticeably colder.

"I know what you're up to," he said lowly to Roma, who seemed marginally unaffected. "Stop it. It's fucking annoying."

He smiled innocently, taking a sip of his wine. "Oh Lovino, you always have had such a foul mouth. But really, I don't know why you are so suspicious." It would be more difficult getting Lovino out of the room, of course.

"You're picking off the weak ones first, for a start," he grumbled back, leaning against the plush leather of the sofa with his eyes narrowed. "We're allowed to date who we want, you pretentious old fool. We are adults. Stop trying to dictate our lives."

The smile dropped a few degrees. "Have I ever said you cannot date who you wish? I haven't even made a move to ask either of you to carry on the family name, and have accepted that neither of you will ever give me great grandchildren. But I would be neglecting my duty as head of the family if I did not get to know who you have deemed so important as to bring home." But he smiled again, as if nothing had happened. "Now, Lovino, if you would be so dear as to do your Grandpa a favor and check on the guests? There are always last minute problems."

"I've never been a dear my whole life," Lovino replied firmly, "and I'm not going to start now." He sounded strong, but inch by inch, his hand sought Antonio's for stability. "Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of me."

For a second, Roma gave up the act. "Like you would let me get any good information. Now, you are still my grandson, and you still have responsibilities. Make sure everyone is happy with their rooms, and has a bottle of wine, alright? And make sure it's wine from 2006. That was one of our best years."

A muscle in Lovino's jaw tightened, and Antonio knew that Roma had used the perfect word to get under Lovino's skin: responsibility. The young man turned toward Antonio, tightening the loose grip he had on his hand. Antonio turned to him, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Meet you in the room after." He was determined to get on Roma's good side, no matter what. But if the old man turned out to hate him, it wasn't the end of the world. He wouldn't let Lovino go for anything.

That didn't seem to be the answer Lovino was hoping for, though Roma began to perk up. Slowly, hesitantly, Lovino stood and dropped Antonio's hand, completely ignoring Roma on his way out.

Once the door was closed behind him, the Spaniard looked at at Roma with a broad grin. "Before you say anything, I love your grandson, and nothing you can say to me will change that."

"Oh, yes, I can see that," Roma said easily, draining the rest of his glass before setting it delicately on the small, circular table beside him. He relaxed in the chair, sizing Antonio up even from his comfortable position. "Enough to move in with him and take a trip to Italy with him. But he is rarely home, I'd wager. He is kept plenty busy with work. You have copious amounts of free time, and nearly all of his attention when you desire it, as he does not make friends as a general rule. Tell me, in what way don't you benefit in dating my grandson?"

Antonio was a little confused by this. It wasn't the sort of inquiry he had been expecting. "Well, he doesn't want to get a dog, but that's pretty much it. Oh, and he moved in with me, I didn't move in with him." A little detail, sure, but he didn't want anyone thinking he was a gold digger or anything.

The older gentleman leaned forward, his elbows situated on his knees. His eyes were a deep, dark brown and settled heavily on Antonio's. "I've been reliably informed that on more than one occasion, Lovino has referred to you as a 'manipulative little shit.' Verbatim, you understand." He smiled, but it was a dangerous sort of smile. "As a fellow manipulative little shit, I'd like to know exactly why he'd feel this way about you. Lovino is so very good at calling us out for what we are, after all."

He laughed a bit at that, refusing to be on edge. That is what Roma wanted, but he wouldn't let it happen. "Well, when we met I wanted a relationship with him, and he didn't want one. But I always get what I want. And now we're both happy, so it was for the best."

Roma's eyes grew sharp and cold. "Did you force my grandchild into a sexual relationship, Antonio?"

"Not at all. When we got together, he was completely willing, if a little nervous." Antonio leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You know how he can be. Doesn't want to let anyone past his wall. So I had to squirm through, but I succeeded and he agreed to go out with me."

Thick, long fingers steeped together between Roma's knees. "What are your intentions with my daughter's child?" he asked after a long moment of quiet observations.

Antonio smirked a little. "Is that really what you want to ask me?"

The left corner of Roma's mouth curled up at that. "No. You've kept him around the longest of all of his little playmates. I'd rather ask how long you intend to do so. Personal affairs tend to interfere with productivity in business."

"I really couldn't give a fuck about productivity in business. I think Lovino is much more important than things like that. So I 'intend' to keep him around for as long as he lets me, hopefully forever. In fact, I was planning on asking him to marry me on this trip. If I could find the right moment, that is." Antonio took the box from his pocket, but didn't open it.

For the first time, it seemed, Roma was surprised. He sat up straight, a curious expression lighting on his face. "That's new," he said, and it did not pass Antonio's notice that his tone was considerably lighter. Roma's eyes flickered between the box and Antonio's face. After a moment, his grin had returned, if slightly softer. "You might not have much luck with the timing," he said. "Lovino hates these reunions."

"Yeah, so I've noticed." He put the box back in his pocket. "But what better place to do it than Italy, right? I'm sure I'll find the right time before we go home." He just might have to force it a little.

Roma leaned back and regarded Antonio with curiosity and something like confusion for a short time. "That child," he finally said, "has no faith in anyone in the world, barely even himself. I have never seen him behave in such a trusting manner to anyone aside from his brother all of his life... Until you arrived the other day." Finally, for the first time since Antonio had first laid eyes on the man, he looked his age, and just as tired. "It worries me that you might not comprehend the intensity of that trust. If what I have heard and observed is true, you may have completely overtaken his suspicious little heart. I am concerned that, because of this, he will be completely vulnerable to everything you say and do. And if you betray that trust, I fear he may never find faith in humanity. I am scared for him, Antonio. It is quite a lot of pressure to put on you, I know. But I want to be sure you understand the severity of the situation."

Any amusement that had been on Antonio's face fell away. "Wow," he said, glancing away. "Do you realize how much of a hypocrite you sound like? Yeah, he never lets anyone close, because he's afraid of getting hurt, but who's fault is that?" He was trying hard not to yell. "He grew up wanting your recognition, and you only showed compassion for Feliciano. All he wanted was your love! I bet you're also the reason that he feels that he has to protect his brother at all costs, that his brother is even more important than he is!" He tried to stop, because Lovino would be pissed if he knew he was saying these things, but he couldn't help himself. "I don't think it's me you have to worry about; it's you that always make him feel like a child who doesn't deserve love."

Roma stared at him wordlessly, and eventually Antonio grew tired of glaring at him and stood. He left the room without another word and made a beeline for the bedroom he shared with Lovino. He waited on the bed, grabbing a book, not wanting to go to sleep until Lovino was back. He didn't have long to wait; about twenty minutes after he had settled in, the door creaked open.

"Do you even fucking comprehend," Lovino began, immediately stripping after locking the door, his shirt and trousers tossed over a wicker chair, "how much my family likes to talk? They just go on! You can't even shut them up with alcohol."

"It's just because you are such a delight to talk to." Antonio laughed as he stood up. Then he hugged Lovino close, resting his head on his shoulder. "So do you love me more than your Grandpa? Because... I think I really pissed him off," he said a little sheepishly.

"I love you more than anything," Lovino responded before he could catch himself, and his face heated up rather nicely against Antonio's neck. "I-I mean, I'd love anyone who pissed that bastard off."

But Antonio heard it, and he smiled warmly, hugging Lovino closer. "I love you too. I love you so much." He realized, then, that this would be the perfect time. "Actually, I... have something to ask you." He reached into his pocket, where the box had been for the last three days, but his fingers just bumped against the fabric of his trousers.

Lovino pulled back and watched him pat himself down, one eyebrow cocked. "Uh... if you want me to do a weird-ass dance, it's not gonna happen."

"Hahaha! No, that's not it!" Antonio laughed nervously. Dammit, where was it? It wasn't in any of his pockets! But where could it have been? He just had it when he was talking to Roma... Antonio realized in dread that he must not have put it back in his pocket right. It either fell out on that very couch, or on his way to the room. Oh no, how could this have happened?

"Hey, you okay?" Lovino asked, stepping back. "Did you lose something?"

"No! Haven't lost anything! I was ah, just making sure this jacket had pockets. So that... I can put some food in them! That's what I was asking, if you wanted to go to the kitchen to get some tomatoes. And since I have pockets, we can carry a lot of them." Antonio knew very well that it was a terrible lie, but it was all he could think of when he was freaking out. What if Roma found the ring and hid it because he didn't want them to get married? He had spent a lot of money on that thing! Way more money than he should have!

Lovino snorted and moved to the bathroom to brush his teeth, calling over his shoulder, "Okay, whatever. If you want to go look for whatever you lost, be my guest. I'm going to bed."

"I didn't lose anything! But I'm gonna go get those tomatoes. I know how much you love tomatoes!" Antonio quickly left the room, glad that Lovino had let him go. But, following his footsteps exactly, and looking over that whole couch, Antonio didn't find anything at all. Where the hell could it have gone? Did Roma find it? Did someone else find it? What if a random family member found it and didn't tell anyone? Then he might never get it back!

Dejected, Antonio returned to the room, hands in his pockets.

The room was dark except for the lamp on Antonio's side of the bed, which he flicked off after undressing. Once he had crawled in and curled up near Lovino, the warm body turned toward him and an amused voice filled the quiet space between them. "So where are the tomatoes?"

Antonio stiffened. How could he have forgotten? "Um, they didn't have any."

Lovino's answering snicker made his ears burn. He was a terrible liar. "Yeah, right. Okay." Lovino easily situated himself against Antonio's body after that, his cheek rested upon Antonio's bare arm. "Well, I'm sure you'll find your... tomatoes tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Hey everyone! So the next chapter will be the last, just so you all know. And, if anyone thinks that it almost seems as if a few scenes were missing, that's because they are. Those scenes are in the sister story, Root of Attraction, and we didn't want to write the scenes twice for those of you who have read the other story as well. And, for those of you who haven't, if you want to, here is the link.<p>

ht tp:/ /w ww. fan fiction. ne t/s/7791265/1/bRoot_b_of_bAttraction_b

Just take out the spaces and there you have it!


	6. Chapter 6

Antonio couldn't get away from Lovino the next day until the afternoon, when he suggested he go off with Feliciano. He wanted to believe that the box fell out of his pocket on the way to their room, and was picked up by one of the guests. Because if it had fallen out on the couch, and Roma found it, it was probably already gone. He tried asking around a bit, to everyone who was staying in that hallway, if they had seen anything. So far, he was striking out.

Eventually, he moped back to the room in time to find Lovino settling in for a nap. The Italian blinked up at him with a sleepy sort of surprise and yawned. "I'm gonna help set up for dinner in a few hours," he said, patting the bed beside him. "Did you find whatever you were looking for?"

Antonio took a tomato out of his pocket and handed it over. "Well, I found the tomatoes," he said, sighing gloomy. How was he going to ask Lovino to marry him if he didn't have the ring? But the sullen thoughts were eased from his mind when the young man smiled softly and bit into his favorite fruit, his warm golden eyes never leaving Antonio's.

"Never let it be said that you can't do one thing well, even if it's just scoping out tomatoes."

He smirked, leaned in and licked up a trail of the juice from Lovino's chin. "I'm awesome at scoping out tomatoes. I'm the best." Well, maybe he would find the ring by the time they had to leave. Pulling him down under the covers, Lovino kissed him fully, and with his wrist resting on Antonio's shoulder, he did not notice the lazy drip of juice running down the bronze bicep from the tomato in his hand. "Are you going to nap with me?" he asked, sucking briefly on Antonio's bottom lip.

He smiled against Lovino's mouth. "Not if you keep doing that." Antonio moved so he was laying down, and wrapped an arm around the Italian's waist.

While Antonio could feel Lovino's body stir in the beginning stages of excitement against his thigh, the young man did not seem keen to pursue any further action as he rested his cheek against the warmth of his lover's shoulder.

"Alright, we'll have a nap. But not for very long, we'll have to get up and get ready for dinner soon." And this was going to be another big dinner, with the whole family. Antonio hoped that they would at least be able to sit together that night, unlike the one before when Roma had made it so they would be very far from each other.

"Shhh. Vacation, remember?" he mumbled, and Antonio could feel the lightest of kisses being pressed against his shoulder. "Let's relax while we still can."

Antonio set an alarm on his phone to go off in two hours, and rested against Lovino. "Alright. Go to sleep." He kissed the top of his head, snuggling close to him.

.oOo.

"Stop fidgeting," Lovino snapped, wrenching Antonio back to attention by the tie around his neck. "For fuck's sake, Antonio, I've dressed five-year-olds who've been more composed than you. Could you just..." He quickly finished tightening the tie and smoothed down the front of Antonio's dark suit. But Antonio still pulled at it.

"It's too tight! I feel like I'm choking." Unfortunately the dog trainer was not used to having to dress up at all, and tonight was supposed to be even more of a formal dinner than the night before.

Lovino batted his hands away and tightened it properly again. "My aunts have been eyeing you like vultures for the kill," he said, lifting the tailored jacket and tucking in the crisp white shirt beneath that Antonio had not properly dealt with before. "You need to look presentable."

"I really don't see the point. I've already fucked up with your grandfather; do you really think your aunts will make a difference?" Neither of them had seen the old man all day, which was mostly a blessing. Antonio really shouldn't have said what he had last night.

Glancing briefly into Antonio's eyes, Lovino resumed smoothing down the suit, his hands coming to rest on the Spaniard's broad chest. "Do it because I think you look fucking edible in a suit, then," he said simply.

He smiled and stopped fiddling. "Well alright then. And after dinner, when we are all alone?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Internally, Antonio was still freaking out about finding the ring, but Lovino had given him something else to think about, so he tried very hard to push it to the back of his mind.

"We'll have see how well you're still put together when the evening's done," Lovino said with an air of flippancy. "If you're all disheveled and messy, I'll have to assume that you're ready for bed, won't I?"

Antonio stuck out his bottom lip. "Aww, if I'm all disheveled, won't that be even sexier?" He personally would like nothing better than seeing Lovino with his hair messed up, his suit jacket wrinkled, his tie loosened and his undershirt unbuttoned.

"Maybe some other time, but right now, I really am getting used to the sight of you in a suit." He leaned up to kiss Antonio briefly. "You're definitely coming to more formal functions with me from now on."

He groaned, hanging his head. "But they are so boring, I don't know how you can stand them as much as you do." Not to mention that he had to wear a tie. Antonio hated ties; they were incredibly uncomfortable.

"Nobody likes them," Lovino snorted, smoothing the curls back from Antonio's forehead before disappearing into the bathroom. "But they're expected of us. And I am so fucking bringing you along next time."

He emerged with his hair combed neatly and his own tie mostly hidden beneath the buttons of his own black suit. Lovino gave Antonio one more glance-over and seemed to deem him presentable. "Alright. Let's go stuff our faces and act as pretentious as the rest of my family."

"Alright. Maybe I'll be sitting beside Francis again. That guy is hilarious!" He had felt sorry for Ludwig the night before, because the Frenchman was so obviously hitting on him, but at least it made for an exciting dinner. The look on Lovino's face was pure disgust as they made their way down the hall.

"You've got to be shitting me. Of course you'd like him, you freak," he mumbled.

"Don't worry, it's not because I'm attracted to him or anything." Antonio latched onto Lovino, holding him by the hips. "To tell you the truth, last night there was this cute brunet guy down the table that I just could not tear my eyes away from. I really should get his number."

Swatting him away, Lovino continued down the hall, very obviously fighting the smile that was threatening to twitch its way onto his face as Antonio dogged behind him. "I wouldn't," he replied as they descended the stairs, sparing a cheeky glance in Antonio's direction. "Pretty sure he's taken."

Antonio chuckled, following closely behind. This time, he and Ludwig were allowed to sit a bit closer, but there were still a few chairs in between them and the brothers. It allowed Antonio to mostly ignore Roma, who seemed to be doing the same.

After dinner, when Roma invited everyone to the gardens behind the manner, Lovino stuck with his brother, chatting reservedly while Ludwig stood uncomfortably stiff nearby. Before Antonio could join them, a hand slipped over his shoulder and a glass of wine was pushed into his grasp. "Enjoying the view?" a rich voice asked with an amused lilt.

He looked over at the blond and grinned. "Very much. Of course, I'm sure it's just as nice in France, isn't it?" Of course, Lovino wasn't in the view in France, but he had always wanted to go visit.

Fondness tilted the curve of Francis' smile just so and he winked. "Oh, yes. Even more beautiful, in my humble opinion. But you're looking rather lovely yourself tonight." With no hint of subtlety in the least, Francis' eyes raked down Antonio's body. "You do clean up rather nicely."

"So I'm told," Antonio said, laughing while he spoke. He stiffened slightly when he saw Roma go up to Lovino and Feliciano, but soon he left them, and Lovino went off in the direction of the house. Well, he would be back in a few minutes; he didn't seem too angry. "So, if you're French, what exactly are you doing with all of the Italians?"

"My mother is the lady Esmeralda's cousin by marriage," he answered, "and they were good enough to welcome us warmly into their hearts and garden parties." Francis lifted his glass and smiled when a couple of young ladies passed, tittering flirtatiously.

He nodded, amazed at the family that Roma invited to these reunions. "Right. Lovino did say you were a distant cousin." He almost jumped when a strong hand gripped his shoulder, and looked behind him to see Roma. Francis very quickly occupied himself elsewhere and Roma took his place at Antonio's side. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it up to examine.

"I managed to draw Lovino's attention," he said nonchalantly, rotating the box between his fingers.

Antonio's eyes widened as he saw the ring box. So Roma did have it! "Oh, um, did you find that? I've been looking for it everywhere." He made a grab for it, just as Roma closed his hand around it. Dammit, did he make Lovino go away so that he wouldn't see this? He was confident that he could take the old man in a fight, but really didn't want to have to resort to that.

"A bit careless to just leave this lying around, weren't you?" Roma continued, popping the velvet top open and admiring the ring inside. "It must have been a stretch with your budget."

He laughed a bit nervously. "Yeah, it must have fallen out of my pocket. Er, thank you for finding it." There was no way that Roma would try to play keep away or something, right? Surely he was more mature than that!

Just as Antonio's nerves really began to get to him, Roma snapped the little box shut and passed it smoothly into Antonio's hand. "Make it memorable," he advised, sipping delicately at his own glass of wine and stepping away to intrude on the conversation a group of older women were having some feet away.

Antonio let out a sigh of relief, gripping the box tightly. Thank god, he had it back. Over one of the bushes he saw Lovino coming back to join the party. Spurred on by the return of the ring, he quickly made his way over to him and grabbed Lovino's hand before he could get away. Lovino attempted to walk past, but Antonio tugged insistently on his hand. He frowned. "I was gonna go talk to Feli-" he protested when the Spaniard began to drag him of into the vineyard.

"He'll be fine, come on." Antonio looked back and gave a huge smile. There wasn't going to be anything to mess it up this time. No matter what, he would make it the right atmosphere. He found a spot, far enough away from the party so that the people were just distant noises, but close enough so they could still mostly hear the music.

The sun had nearly disappeared over the horizon and the posts and vines curved around a small pond at the little place down the hill. Lovino frowned in confusion when Antonio stopped. Then he rolled his eyes as the soft sound of violin music drifted down the hill. "Aunt Fortuna never could resist showing off her orchestral prowess," he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his designer trousers and circling the little pond.

Antonio followed him, and saw a small bush of wild flowers. He bent down and picked one of them, twirling in his fingers. Then he went to Lovino, lifted his hand to his cheek, and slipped the flower behind his ear. Lovino opened his mouth to protest, but Antonio covered it with a finger. "Just... please? Just for now."

Lovino frowned and nipped at Antonio's finger before he could pull it away. "You're being weird," he muttered, pulling the flower out from his hair and examining it before tucking it in his lapel instead.

The Spaniard's smile just grew. "You know, we're wasting this beautiful music." He took a step back, and held out a hand, palm facing up. "Dance with me?"

One fine brow arched as Lovino regarded his hand. He took it, smirking widely. "You dance?"

"We'll find out." Antonio pulled him forward, his other hand going to Lovino's waist. He mostly followed the music, not knowing many specific slow dance moves. He smiled down to Lovino, dancing around the pond. "Would you let me dip you?"

"Into the pond?" Lovino asked back with rhetorical sarcasm, but allowed Antonio to gently let his torso arch and fall before pulling him up again. Antonio held him close, thinking about the best way to do this. He spun Lovino, so that they ended up front to back, his arms wrapped around Lovino's smaller frame. "This place is really beautiful. But it still doesn't compare to you," he whispered in his ear.

He could feel Lovino shiver, and when the young man began to give a less-than-pleasant response, Antonio squeezed him about the middle. "Hey!"

"Don't ruin it," Antonio murmured, almost as if he spoke too loud, his own voice could ruin the moment. They weren't so much dancing anymore as they were just swaying to the music, moving back and forth. "Hey, Lovi? Close your eyes, alright? Don't ask, just close them." He started pulling the box out of his pocket.

Lovino heaved a long-suffering sigh and shifted in his arms. "You make all of these unreasonable demands- 'dance with me, close your eyes, fuck me even if I can't maintain an air of decency all night'-"

"Lovi. Shut up," Antonio said, laughing a little. "Are your eyes closed?" He heard Lovino huff and he nodded. With one hand Antonio opened the box, took out the ring, and put the box back in his pocket. Then, he grabbed Lovino's hand, and slipped it on his finger.

He heard Lovino's breath hitch and then he really was quiet, fingers outstretched before his eyes for the examining. Lovino stood completely still, his eyes transfixed on the gold and silver banded ring situated snugly on his left ring finger.

"It would make me really happy if you would stay with me forever. Will you marry me?" Antonio asked, his hand moving back to holding Lovino against him. It seemed that the Italian was almost speechless.

"You're fucking insane," Lovino breathed, gaping at the ring as though he had never seen anything like it before. When his hand began to tremble, Lovino lowered it and ducked his head away from Antonio. There was an almost-inaudible snuffling noise and when Antonio inquired, Lovino batted him away. "Stupid bastard," he sniffed, rubbing his eyes quickly before turning to face Antonio. Even though the sun had almost set completely, Antonio could tell that his face had turned bright red. "I don't really have a choice, do I? You'll just keep bugging me until I say yes."

His grin widened, so much that it almost hurt Antonio's cheeks. "Nope, you're not getting away with that. You actually have to say yes."

"You just live to fucking humble me, don't you," Lovino growled, pulling the man down for a deep, bruising kiss. He answered fervently when they parted for breath - "Yes, fuck, yes," - and Antonio ended up really quite mussed after all.

.oOo.

They lay in bed, Antonio not having quite caught his breath from the lovemaking session, and Lovino lifted his hand to the direction of the open window, staring at his hand in the moonlight. More specifically, his ring finger. Even more specifically, the ring on his finger.

"Hey, bastard," he said, a light smile twitching at the corners of his lips. "I think you put this on the wrong hand."

"What?" Antonio opened his eyes and looked at which hand it was on. Sure enough, it was the wrong one. "Oh damn! I looked it up, and thought about it before, but... well I was behind you, right? Sorry." He grabbed Lovino's hand, slipped the ring off, and put it on the other one. "There we go. All better."

Pulling him down for a lazy kiss, Lovino let his leg slip between Antonio's, pressing close despite the sweat and the heat. They parted wetly, and Lovino sighed against Antonio's jaw, experimenting with the unfamiliar weight on his left hand. "You must be out of your mind," he mused quietly.

He chuckled, placing a hand at the small of Lovino's back. "I actually think I'm brilliant. I mean hell, I already have the tattoo, right?"

"Out of your mind," Lovino reiterated, closing his eyes to the sensation that Antonio's fingers produced as they slid over his back. Quietly then, and quite out of the blue, he murmured, "My father was one of the men on the board of a rival company. I only know that much about him. I assume that he must be in line to take over the company, whoever he is, because he didn't even want to risk the sacrifice of his title to admit to his paternity." The fingertips of his right hand drew absentminded circles on Antonio's shoulder. "Mama never told us because she didn't want us to feel like we were unloved. So we never discussed our father. It just didn't happen."

Antonio was amazed at the freely given information, and didn't want to mess up the opportunity by saying something out of line, so he cautiously muttered back, "Really? Does that... bother you?" He continued making patterns in the sweaty skin of Lovino's back, wondering what had enticed the talkative mood.

Lovino shrugged. His hands stilled, curling against Antonio's side. "It was probably for the best. He was honest about where his loyalties lay, at least. Grandpa would have torn him to shreds otherwise. He could have hurt Mama. It was probably the most logical course of action to take."

"Right." Antonio sighed, content, and kissed Lovino's temple. "So wait, is he both you and your brother's father? I mean you two are at least two years apart, right?" If not more. He really should find out how old Feliciano was.

"Three," Lovino corrected, "and I don't know. I... I don't want to bring up any bad shit that makes Mama uncomfortable, so I've never asked."

He nodded slowly, closing his eyes for a second and resting his head against Lovino. "So, your Grandpa pretty much took over being your dad then?" Antonio was hesitant to bring up the topic of Roma, but maybe he would get some more information now.

Lovino made a noise of pure indignation. "He'd like to think so," he answered bitterly, settled only by the gentle brush of Antonio's fingers through his hair. "He was the patriarchal figure, and that's about as far as the comparison goes. He coddled Feliciano and gave him everything he ever wanted- it's a wonder Feli didn't grow up to be a spoiled shithead. And he... he taught me the business. You know. Resistance. Suspicion. Calculation. "

"Right." Antonio thought that there was much more to that, though. "Do you hate him for that?"

He received no answer for a short time, met only with silence, save for the gentle slip-rustle of sheets as Lovino shifted his legs into a more comfortable position. Then, "No. I don't hate the bastard. How could I? He's family."

There was a short laugh, but Antonio cut it off quickly. "You keep saying that, but it is very possible to hate family. I have an aunt that I would be grateful if she fell down the stairs and I never had to listen to her again. You have to put up with them because they're family, but you don't have to actually like them."

"It's not that simple," Lovino huffed. His cheek brushed against Antonio's wrist lightly when the Spaniard retracted his hand. "I'm not actively fond of anyone but Feliciano and Mama, and that's all that's really expected of me."

Antonio nuzzled up against him. "And me too right? But I think you're more than fond of me. I think you..." He paused, acting like he was thinking, "Hm, what is that word again? How do you feel about me again?"

"Irritated," Lovino answered dryly, crying out and squirming when Antonio tickled him viciously in response. "Fine! Fine! Geez. I love you, you demanding shit."

Antonio chuckled, stopped tickling him and gave him a tight hug. "That's so sweet of you to say! I love you too!" then he grabbed Lovino's hand, kissing the ring. It looked so nice on his finger.

"You're gonna smudge it," came Lovino's superficial complaint. He stroked Antonio's lower lip with his thumb thoughtfully.

"Tomorrow at breakfast, we should tell your family. Um, well, your grandpa kind of already knows, so don't be surprised if he jumps you or something." He turned the ring around on Lovino's finger.

"I don't want to tell them yet." Lovino's tone erred on the side of petulant, and his fingers stretched and flexed over Antonio's. "I've been able to keep people out of my business for only a few years. I don't want them flooding back in just yet. If they don't notice on their own, then it'll be their damn fault."

Antonio chuckled, because really he should have expected it. "Fine, but like it or not, when we get home I'm telling my family."

Thumbing the ring absentmindedly, Lovino nodded, pressing his nose under Antonio's jaw. "They're not going to come find our apartment and camp out, though, are they? I will fuckin' disappear if they do."

"Don't worry, my family is pretty normal. They might have us over for celebratory dinner or something, but that's about it." He wondered a little what Lovino's family was going to do when they found out.

Grumbling to himself, the younger of the two finally huffed in acquiescence. "Dinner's fine. As long as they can cook." He sniffed. "And it had better be fuckin' scrumptious."

"It will be. Old Spanish recipes and all that." Antonio reached down and dragged up the thin blanket, covering them both. "Well, let's go to sleep now. We'll be expected downstairs for breakfast tomorrow."

Yawning widely against Antonio's skin, Lovino burrowed in close. "We should skip breakfast," he tiredly mumbled. "Find better things to do than eat with my annoying relatives."

Antonio chuckled, ruffling Lovino's hair with his breath. "You know we have to go. After breakfast tomorrow, your relatives start leaving, so that will be the last time to talk to some of them. And your Grandfather will want everyone there."

He was answered with a half-hearted groan. "What are the chances I can change your mind if I promise wake-up fellatio?" he asked, fingers dipping below the blanket to brush lightly against the warm, soft hair below Antonio's navel.

The Spaniard pretended to mull it over. "Well... maybe we can be a bit late for breakfast."

.oOo.

Antonio and Roma spoke for almost the whole meal, and no one could understand what had happened. Yesterday they had been as tense as humanly possible, and now it was like they were best friends. Lovino looked ready to kill someone, since Roma kept telling embarrassing stories about him when he was a kid. He was on to the fifth awful anecdote, and though Lovino had promised himself that he wouldn't be storming out for the rest of the trip (really, every night was just silly; even he knew that) he could feel his legs tensing in preparation to bolt. It didn't help that Antonio had decided, somewhere during the humiliation, that he would play along with the teasing and cajoling. Lovino had reached his last straw.

"... And he wet the bed until he was at least, what was it Lovino... six? Seven?"

Lovino's face gave the impression that he was likely too mortified to speak. Antonio seemed utterly pleased. "Not Lovi, surely!"

"Oh yes," Roma chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. "And did you know, when he was just a little thing, barely higher than my knee, he knocked over an entire bookshelf trying to help the maids? He was so embarrassed that he hasn't lifted a finger to do anything else since!"

Antonio laughed again at that, and threw an arm over Lovino's shoulders. "Don't worry, I will never ask you to help with anything ever again. Wouldn't want to bring back painful memories!"

At that, Lovino cracked. He pushed away from the table, hands balled up into fists. "You both suck ass," he growled before stomping up to his room. Everyone quieted down, even Roma and Antonio.

Their grandfather looked after him. "Yes, he has always had that temper as well." Roma's eyes shifted toward Antonio and for the first time that morning, they were calculating. "Are you going to run after him?" he asked, almost like a test. But Antonio didn't seem fazed at all. He just smiled and took a sip of milk.

"I'll wait a few minutes," he said. "If I go sooner, he just gets mad. If I give him a bit to cool off, he's a little more... receptive."

Roma's smile gave the nearest members of the family chills. "You know just how to play my grandson like a violin, don't you?"

"No sir," Antonio said, pushing back and standing. "I really think it's the other way around." He quickly left the dinning room, feeling a sense of deja vu, having run after him a few times already after he stormed out of the family meal. But when he opened the door, he didn't see Lovino in their room. He checked Feliciano's room next, but Lovino was not there, either. Antonio might have asked where Esmeralda was staying, but somehow he doubted that he would find Lovino there. He returned briskly to the dining room, where he ignored the many eyes that followed and pierced him, lightly touching Feliciano's shoulder to catch his attention. The boy twitched and tilted his face away from Ludwig.

"Hi Feliciano. Um, Lovi ran away again, and I can't find him. You wouldn't have any idea where he might go...?" Because it would take him forever to search the entire mansion, and by the time he found him, Lovino might be past the point of talking, having waited too long to be found.

"Oh, there are a lot of places. It's a big house. But, hmm..." Feliciano's head cocked to the side as he thought. "Well, he could be in the vineyard. He likes to run sometimes when he's not happy. Or he could be in the kitchen, because when he's upset the nice cooks bake him yummy things. Or- oh! You could try the library. When we were little and we played hide and seek, that's where he would always go first."

He nodded. "Alright, I'll try there first. Thank you, Feli." He turned to leave, but the happy voice stopped him.

"Oh! And there is one other place..."

Antonio found Lovino on the balcony of the study on the west wing's second floor. Feliciano had given him (literal) step-by-step directions to the study in which there was a cupboard that the maids were forever recounting of Lovino's childhood, where he would curl up and hide away when he was feeling particularly embarrassed or sad. The door to the balcony was cracked open just to the right of the cupboard and a warm breeze drifted inside.

"Hey," Antonio said, not wanting to startle him as he walked up and leaned on the railing as well, facing out to the vineyard. "This is a really nice view. I haven't seen it from here yet," he continued, since Lovino didn't seem very keen on talking. True to form, Lovino didn't speak. He stubbornly refused to acknowledge Antonio's existence at all, save for the slight tensing of his shoulders. "Silent treatment? Really, you're playing that card? Alright then. Have I told you how hot you look in those pants? I mean really, I could just squeeze your ass right now. It looks so plump and squeezable. If I knew you wouldn't hit me, I would slip my hand in there right now and finger you."

"Stop," Lovino snapped, shifting away from him with a snarling derision curled on his face. "Fuck off, Antonio."

But Antonio moved after him so that they weren't apart. "Lovi, why are you being like this? Everyone has embarrassing stories from their childhood. Would it help you if I told you some of mine? My first word was poop. My first kiss went to a melon, because I drew a face on it and was pretending I was the prince in Sleeping Beauty. Should I go on?"

Lovino didn't seem amused. "I don't want to fucking talk about this," he hissed, glaring out over the vast sea of vines and rich soil. "I didn't come here so you could find me, you bastard. I just want to be left alone." His frown deepened. "And I couldn't fit in that stupid fucking cupboard anymore."

Antonio laughed at that, now knowing why he hadn't been exactly where his brother said he had been. "Did you really think I wouldn't look? Or that I would give up before I found you? One talk to Feliciano and you were in the first place I looked. Obviously you weren't trying to hide that hard."

At that, Lovino bristled and turned sharply, walking back inside. "Well, excuse me while I go find somewhere suitably less fucking predictable!"

"Lovi, wait!" Antonio ran after him, and he caught him as they went inside the room. In order to stop him from leaving, Antonio backed Lovino up against the wall, bracing his hands on either side of him. "You can hit me all you want, but I'm not leaving you."

Swallowing thickly, a muscle Lovino's jaw ticked and he growled resignedly. The fighting, biting, spitting anger slowly began to calm behind his eyes. "I'm not going to hit you, bastard. I just want you to back off."

The look Antonio gave him was one of his more serious ones. "We both know I'm not going to do that. Look, I'm sorry we were joking around. Honestly, if you had told me that you hated your Grandfather and never wanted to see him, I wouldn't give a fuck about what he thought about me. But you said you don't hate him, so I'm trying to get him to like me. I'm sorry if that made you angry."

Lovino looked away, focusing on the china cabinet on the other side of the room. "I hate it when he tells those fucking stories," he said quietly, cheeks reddened with shame. "They- they get worse when he gets attention for them, a lot worse, things nobody needs to know, and you were playing right into it."

"Alright, you might not know this, but every single parent in the history of forever likes telling embarrassing stories about their kids. What could he tell me? I already know about the paintings, and the other things are just kid stuff. It's not like they're gonna change how I feel about you."

"Yeah, but...!" He cringed. "It's... I don't want you to look at me and know all of the stupid, embarrassing things that I did when I was a kid. It's already bad enough as it is without you knowing that I used to... wet the bed, or that I couldn't even dust a fucking shelf without knocking it over."

Antonio rolled his eyes and pulled Lovino in for a tight hug. "I don't care about that stuff, alright? Wetting the bed is nothing compared to some of the stuff I did as a kid. I could continue telling them to you, if that would make you feel any better."

The tension in his body slowly began to slacken and Lovino's nose pressed into the crook of his neck. "You're not even embarrassed," he mumbled. "It's pointless if you're not mortified."

"Oh, I am, trust me. You're the first person I ever told about my date with Sleeping Melon. But... it's you, so I'm alright with you knowing stuff about me." Antonio cupped Lovino's cheek in his hand, forcing him to look him in the eye. "And if it makes you happy, I'll tell you every embarrassing story that I know. And then when you meet my mom, she'll probably tell you even more."

Sniffing, Lovino batted his hands away, but leaned into him. "You don't have to make me sound like an overly-emotional idiot," he grumbled, rubbing his cheek against Antonio's shoulder. "Fuck, I hate this talking-it-out rule. It always ends in tears and sex. How does it always end in tears and sex?"

He laughed a little, closing his eyes for a second and then opening them to look down at Lovino. "We're just that special I guess. And it doesn't have to end in sex. Or tears, really." Although the sex part was pretty nice. He chuckled when Lovino vocalized his thoughts.

"I like the sex part, though." Lovino breathed in and exhaled slowly over Antonio's skin. Subtly, he gripped the hem of Antonio's shirt in his fingers. "I want to go home."

Antonio gave a little sigh. "Well, we'll be leaving in a few days. Can you make it 'til then?" He ran a hand along Lovino's arm, then up to cup his cheek again.

With a little huff, Lovino scowled up into Antonio's eyes without the fire of real displeasure behind them. "I want to go home with you. I miss the shitty coffee machine and our bed and our cheap-ass sheets."

He grinned at that. "Hey, those sheets were the nice ones at Walmart. Sorry they're not silk or whatever." Antonio dipped his head down for a quick kiss. "Just a few days, alright? Then we'll be home."

"We could go sooner," he murmured near to Antonio's mouth, eager and pleading. "We came early, after all. It would be acceptable. We could be on a plane tonight. I can make it happen."

Antonio hummed a bit, biting his lip. "Alright, how about this. We take a day or two, and we go to the coast, just us. It'll be nice. And we can come back in time to say goodbye to your brother before they leave." He grinned down at him.

With wide-eyed surprise, Lovino instantly blurted out an affirmative, pulling away from Antonio. "Let's get our things, come on!"

"Wait, now? We can't leave right now! Come on, we'll leave after lunch or something, alright? We still have to get a car and everything, just give us a few hours." He figured it would take them a while to tell everyone they were leaving for a few days.

Lovino groaned, allowing Antonio to take his hand as they left the quiet little study. "What's the point? What else is there to do around here? Antonio, I'm so fucking bored..."

"It'll take us a while to clean up the room, and pack all of our stuff and everything. Don't worry, we'll leave in a few hours. I promise. And we'll have to get a room close to the coast. Do you know where you want to go? Have a place in mind?"

"Anywhere with you, I just want to go. We can get a little place to stay, or we can just drive around, stay where we want, and... yeah, letting Grandpa pay for the plane tickets was a great idea. We can go anywhere, Antonio. Why wait?"

He laughed, squeezing Lovino's hand. "A few hours and we'll be gone. I'll start packing, you go tell your mom and brother, alright?"

Squeezing back briefly, Lovino gave him a little smile for the first time that day. "The vacation finally gets to fucking start."

.oOo.

Three hours later, they were traveling in a fairly small car on a dirt road. Antonio leaned back and put his feet on the dash, looking over at Lovino. "So are we just going to sleep in the car, driving around? That would be pretty fun."

The young, tanned thing at the wheel wrinkled his nose. "Ew. Fuck no. Do you know how bad we'd smell? No, I think we should drive up to the coast. We've got a villa in Gaeta. It will only take a few hours to drive there, which gives us plenty of time to have a quick nap and find somewhere nice for dinner. We won't be bumming on our real vacation. Idiot."

"It can be fun, sleeping whenever you get tired, showering when you can. Didn't you ever go for a road trip as a teenager?" Antonio chuckled at that, but had to admit to himself that it would be nice not to have to sleep in the crammed car.

"You're joking! You've met my mother. Do you think she would have let me do something like that?" Chuckling, Lovino fished out a pair of sunglasses from the glove compartment and slipped them on.

"Damn those make you look hot." Antonio grinned mischievously. "Too bad you're driving. Unless you want some road head?"

Visibly twitching, Lovino cleared his throat, cheeks burnt a ruddy hue. "D-dammit, Antonio! You never warned me before we started dating that you'd be so..."

"Sexy?" Antonio finished for him with an attractive smile.

"Horny," Lovino corrected thoughtfully, clearing his throat. "Is... that what you normally do when you take roadtrips then?"

Antonio rolled his head to the side as they went round a corner. "No, I've never given road head before. But I would be more than willing to try. I am very confident in your driving abilities." He would have started undressing Lovino already if he wasn't afraid that the shock would send them off the road.

He could see Lovino's knuckles turn white as they gripped the steering wheel, and a predatory grin crept upon Antonio's face. Lovino swallowed.

"T-that... um, I..."

It was fairly obvious that Lovino was too nervous to say yes to this, so Antonio gave a smile and undid his seat belt. "Alright, tell me to stop if you want." At least the dirt road they were on was completely empty besides them.

"A-Antonio!" he gasped, his lower half lifting of its own violation as Antonio leaned over to pay it mindful care. Lovino's cock was perked, interested and anticipating, beginning to grow uncomfortable under the constriction of his jeans. But that was doing nothing but the opposite of telling him to stop, so he quickly undid the zipper and reached inside, feeling that Lovino was already half hard. "Remember, don't crash." Antonio said in a sing song voice as he took his cock out of the slit in his boxers and took the first lick.

Above him, Lovino's breath hitched, but when Antonio glanced up, he found his lover's eyes firmly glued to the road, despite his pinkened cheeks and hooded eyes, which was encouraging.

Antonio had never been so glad they were driving an automatic, or else Lovino wouldn't have been able to change gears at all. Despite the awkward positioning, Antonio started sucking the now completely hard cock into his mouth, the noises above him beginning to arouse him as well. He could feel the firm shift of Lovino's stomach muscles beneath the soft layer of padding against his cheek, and once, just once, fingers fell down to brush away the dark curls that fell across Antonio's temple before Lovino focused himself back on the wheel.

Because it was just in the car, Antonio worked on getting him off quickly. Unfortunately, he didn't have access to Lovino's balls, but he made do with taking him as deeply as he felt comfortable. The car went over a bump, forcing his cock even deeper down his throat, and he had to pull back for a second to make sure he didn't gag.

Poor Lovino couldn't muffle his low cry and, quite shaken, began to breathe apologies, resting his hand between Antonio's shoulder blades. "Holy fucking hell, Antonio, shit..."

Antonio flexed his throat, figured he was alright to try again, and took Lovino down his throat, swallowing around him. He felt Lovino's thighs tense, and heard the stuttered warning from above him, so pulled back slightly just before hot come shot down his throat.

After he had cleaned Lovino up and tucked him away, he pulled back to grin at the look on Lovino's face. Sometimes after Lovino would come, his face would relax entirely, almost in a daze; it was the way he looked after a long nap or a hot bath, and it most certainly felt like an accomplishment. When the Italian had composed himself, he cleared his throat, the color never having receded from his cheeks. "We should, um... take road trips more often."

Antonio laughed loudly at that, throwing his head against the head rest. When he had mostly calmed down, he glanced at Lovino, which made him crack up again. Yes, road trips were great with the right company.

.oOo.

Antonio thought he would burst after the phenomenal, but seemingly endless meal Lovino had treated him to, and Lovino had told him that a walk would help. Antonio wondered if Lovino only said so because he hadn't felt like exploding as much as Antonio did. In fact, the Italian strolled down the beach with such ease that nobody would think he'd made his way through a four course meal and two glasses of wine.

Admittedly, the warm sand between his toes was very pleasant, and the sight of Lovino splashing barefoot in the moonlight along the coast of the vast ocean wasn't bad, either.

He laughed at him, bent down and splashed some water up at Lovino's back. "That's payback for making such delicious food!" Antonio screeched when Lovino splashed him back, having completely expected it. The water was fairly warm, even though the sun had been down for at least an hour.

Gaeta was beautiful, as Lovino had promised, and there were a handful of apparently famous beaches, but the Vargas villa was located snugly on one that had remained completely deserted all evening (privately-owned, Antonio suspected). The sky was clean and bright, and the moon reflected its silvery light over the calm ripples that ebbed to and from the shore. Lovino and Antonio seemed to be making more waves than the tide itself.

Eventually, Antonio tackled Lovino down, splashing into the shallow water, laughing as Lovino looked up at him with a frown. "Aww, don't be like that, babe! You know you like being wet." He laughed again at the horrified expression on Lovino's face. He had to admit, it was nice being away from the vineyard and all the family therein.

Lovino leaned in, and Antonio closed his eyes in anticipation, but the young man seemed to think better and pulled back with a sigh. "It's no use. You'd be all salty and gross. Too fucking bad."

Antonio rolled his eyes, and leaned down anyway, pushing their lips together. The kiss was fairly salty, but neither of them were complaining after that. Lovino's fingers slipped against the warm skin of Antonio's side peeking out from his soaked shirt, his nails skimming around to the small of Antonio's back. He deepened the kiss with ardent, practiced ease, sucking lightly on the Spaniard's lip. The Spaniard pulled away slightly, just to start kissing other parts of Lovino's face. "Hey Lovi... you love me, right? Would you do anything for me?" Antonio whispered in his ear between kisses to his neck, and anywhere that wasn't covered in sand.

An interesting trail of gooseflesh followed Antonio's kisses across Lovino's shoulder, and despite the warm the air and the sea, Lovino shivered. "Maybe," he murmured, "yeah, probably."

Antonio smiled at that. "What would you do for me? Would you... read a stupid book for me?" There was an affirmative grunt when he started kissing Lovino's neck. "Would you... make a fool out of yourself for me?"

"I already do," he chuckled, tangling his fingers in Antonio's wet, dark curls.

"Yeah, you do. Would you... still kiss me when we're both old and wrinkly and my teeth are falling out?" Antonio kissed along Lovino's shoulder where his shirt had slipped down his shoulder in their water fight.

"Depends," Lovino breathed, stroking the curls fondly. "Do you have a younger brother?"

Antonio chuckled deeply, pinching Lovino's arm. "Only an older sister. And she's married with a kid."

With a sigh, Lovino rested his forehead against Antonio's temple, ignoring the rivulets from the locks dripping down his nose. "Well," he huffed, "then I guess I'll have to put up with you, even when you're in dentures."

He smiled, and continued. "Right. Would you... maybe paint me a picture?" Antonio paused at this, knowing he had to tread carefully. Hopefully Lovino wouldn't treat it any differently than the other questions.

To his surprise, a thoughtful noise hummed in Lovino's throat. "Maybe," he answered. And then he kissed Antonio softly. "But I'm not climbing any fucking mountains or swimming any oceans. You just stay wherever the fuck I happen to be."

"What, so you wouldn't climb Mt Everest with me?" Antonio said, chuckling. Then he rolled over so he wasn't on top of the Italian anymore. "Well, I'm sure you want to have a shower now, or else you'll be complaining of sand everywhere tomorrow."

Lovino splashed him, a look of utter importance on his face. "I'll start now. I've got sand in my shirt, probably in my ass, behind my ears-"

"Oh no you don't!" Antonio held a finger to Lovino's lips. "No complaining allowed! We are on vacation from our vacation, because you wanted to get away."

They made their way back to the villa, which sat just off the far edge of the beach.

"Ah-ah!" Lovino grabbed Antonio's arm and pulled him back from the door, a smirk on his face. "Last one to strip has to sweep the sand from the hall!"

"No fair! You don't have socks on!" Antonio yelled, already pulling his shirt over his head and starting on his pants. There was already sand falling everywhere, and neither of them wanted to be the one to clean it up.

"You lost before you started," Lovino barked, wiggling out of his sopping wet underpants. "You can't out-strip an Italian!" Lovino made it in first, cackling the cackle of a practiced mischief-maker, and ran down the undecorated wood-panel hall with not a single cloth on his back.

Antonio sighed as he stripped off his socks. Well, he would clean it up after the shower. "I bet Francis could beat you!" He had heard stories at all the dinners, after all. When he got in the bathroom, the shower was already running and fogging up the mirror.

"Like fuck he could," came Lovino's voice from beyond the curtain.

The Spaniard stepped in, and once the curtain was closed, he shook his hair out to get some sand out. Lovino shouted at him to stop, which of course made Antonio shake it even harder. Lovino grabbed the bottle of cheap drugstore shampoo and scrubbed Antonio's hair thoroughly, wrinkling his nose when sandy suds slid down Antonio's body. "Make sure to get that all out. You get to change the sheets tomorrow if there's sand in them."

"I thought all the Vargas villas would have servants for all this stuff," Antonio mumbled, grabbing a cloth to wash himself with, since Lovino was currently hogging the stream of water.

"Only if you bring them," Lovino snorted. "Did you think they'd just live here and wait for someone to come stay for a random weekend? Most people plan ahead."

He shrugged, and grabbed the shampoo. "How am I supposed to know? You're the one with the rich family."

"I think it's..." Lovino shook his head and lathered soap in his hands, scrubbing down his arms and torso. "It's like having a bunch of really weird people in your house. Usually they're either really chatty, or sort of afraid of you. I like doing things for myself. Turn around."

Antonio did as asked, and felt a soapy hand on his back. "So you're saying that if your grandpa sent over a servant to clean up our apartment, cook for us, do everything, that you wouldn't want it? You're always complaining that I don't clean enough!"

"Yeah, but it's normal for two adults to take care of their own shit. It doesn't make sense to have to pay someone to do something you can do yourself." Lovino pinched Antonio's ass. "And you can do it yourself, you lazy fuck."

"I am clean enough. It's not my fault you like everything extremely tidy." And he made sure to be clean everywhere else, like when they were here he kept his things off the floor. It was just in his own house that he let it get a little messy.

With a decidedly pointed nip at the back of Antonio's shoulder, Lovino countered, "I was working on that Pavlovian thing. But I guess it hasn't worked just yet."

He quirked an eyebrow and turned around when Lovino was finished with his back. "Oh? Well, I'm not a dog and I haven't heard any bells. What were you trying to do?"

Lovino grinned briefly before turning his back to grab the shampoo for himself. "You really didn't notice the little gift I gave you every morning after you vacuumed?" he asked nonchalantly, rubbing the scented suds through his hair.

Antonio laughed and shook his head. "So I'll get that whenever I do some house work? Well, that might actually make it worth cleaning up every once in a while." Then he put his hands on his hips. "Now why didn't I get that whenever I did the dishes?"

"Because I do the laundry," he answered shortly, rinsing his hair out under the hot spray. "It's a fair exchange. I gift you with my motherfucking presence, and that should be enough of a reward."

"That's not fair. I would be much more willing to do the dishes if I got a treat after." When he was sure that he had gotten all the sand out of all the nooks and crannies, Antonio grabbed the conditioner and began working it through his hair.

"I am a treat," Lovino insisted, turning to grab the conditioner from him and mimicked the action. Once it was all rinsed out and the faucet turned off, Lovino heaved a great yawn. "I can't believe I let you talk me out of that nap earlier."

Antonio laughed and stepped out of the shower once he was rinsed off, grabbing a few towels. "You always take naps! You can't sleep your life away." Once he was mostly dry, Antonio wrapped a towel around his waist and went out to start cleaning up all the sand. Luckily most of it could be swept up.

Lovino was already curled up on his side of the bed in one of the guest rooms, snuggled beneath fresh linen sheets. A warm breeze rolled in through the open bay window and Antonio pressed himself right up against Lovino's back.

In a drowsy voice, Lovino murmured, "This was my room when I was a kid." He interrupted himself with a yawn. "I always liked it best because you can hear the waves. It's nice."

"Yeah? It's a nice room." He had noticed a spot of blue on the wood floor earlier, and now suspected it to be paint. So Lovino painted in this room. Was this also the house that he had burnt the paintings in?

With a little hum, Lovino's fingers curled around Antonio's wrist. "'m glad you're with me," he mumbled quietly, almost to quietly to hear.

Antonio sighed, completely content at that moment. They were in a villa on a beach in Italy, and he was engaged to the most lovely and interesting man he'd ever met. Antonio hugged Lovino tightly, placing a kiss on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm glad I'm with you, too." And they both knew that they weren't just talking about being together at that villa.

Slowly and sweetly, the two quiet lovers were cradled to sleep by the warm breeze and the sound of gentle waves upon the shore.

.oOo.

Lovino was woken in the morning by someone shaking his shoulder gently and kissing him on the forehead. He opened his eyes and glared at the dark shape above him.

"Hey babe, I promised my niece I would bring her back something cool, so I'm gonna go into that small town for a few hours. I'm taking the car. See you soon." Antonio stood up, quickly making his way to the door, already completely dressed.

A sleepy grumble was all the greeting he received in response and Antonio chuckled, moving briskly out of the house and onto the little stone path that led to the car. He pulled the phone from his back pocket and found the contact he was looking for as he slid into the compact vehicle.

A cheerful voice sounded from the other line. "Hey Feli, it's Antonio! ...No, I'm not with Lovino right now... Don't worry, he just went back to bed. I actually need to ask you a question... No, not about pasta. What did Lovino used to use to paint? ...And is that what he used too? ...Alright, I'll try to find those. Um, please don't tell anyone... Well alright you can tell Ludwig, but no one from the family, alright? ...Alright. Thanks Feliciano! Say hi to everyone for us!" He hung up and put his cell on the passenger seat, and started driving into the town.

When he returned, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised to find Lovino still curled up in bed exactly as he'd left him, and he couldn't really say that he was. With an affectionate sort of exasperation, Antonio tussled Lovino's hair and poked him. "Nnngfuuuuck. Whaaatt."

"I've got something to show you. Come outside with me." Antonio was aware that just waking Lovino up may not put him in the best of moods, but hopefully he could cheer him up enough not to get angry at what he had done.

"Should bring it'n here," Lovino mumbled, but dragged himself out of the bed nonetheless. He followed Antonio at a slow, easy pace, and Antonio tutted and had to pull him out of the kitchen when he made a turn into it. "Wha- damn, surely I can make myself a cup of coffee before I go see whatever the fuck it is," Lovino growled in complaint.

He chuckled and dragged him to the door. "I got you some coffee from in town. It's in the car. You can have it after you see what I want to show you." Antonio put his hand on the door handle. "Close your eyes."

With a grumble and a frown, Lovino complied, shutting his eyes as he came to stand beside the door. "If it's a horse, or any other living organism, it's your responsibility," he warned.

"It's not a pet, don't worry." Antonio positioned them in front of where he had set everything up. "Alright, open your eyes now."

The canvas was not terribly large, nor was it of impressive quality. The same could be said about paints scattered in little tubes along the bottom of the easel. But everything was done up neatly on the little path from the villa to the sea, and behind it the vast ocean rolled beyond the beach. Lovino took a moment to take all of it in before turning to Antonio with an odd expression on his face. "What..."

Antonio had an insanely large grin on his face. "You said you would paint a picture for me," he said simply. It was obvious that Lovino had once loved painting, and Antonio wanted him to feel he could do it again.

"I- what? I said maybe." He frowned. "And you tricked me! You were just asking stupid questions. I thought it was another one of them. Fuck, Antonio..."

"Too bad, you said it. And this place is beautiful, and I left my camera at the vineyard." It was a poor excuse and they both knew it, but if Lovino needed a reason to start painting again, he would give him one.

For a moment, Lovino seemed thoughtful. He approached the easel and lifted one of the paints, gazing at the green liquid for a long few minutes, but to Antonio's dismay he shook his head and set it back down. "I can't anymore. Thank you for thinking of me, but I... can't."

Antonio went behind him and picked up another of the paints. "Don't worry, with practice I'm sure you'll be great! Come on, just try to paint something, like the sea!" He pointed out to the ocean, smiling at him.

"Antonio," he hissed, cheeks stained a shameful red. "There was a reason my grandfather didn't have the time to look at my shit. And the only people I had to critique me were mollycoddling nannies and my blind baby brother. I definitely could not paint well then, and I can't imagine I'd do anything properly now."

The Spaniard looked a little sad at that, and he hugged Lovino tightly from behind. "If you liked painting, and you still like painting, that's all that matters." Antonio squeezed him, resting his head on his shoulder. "Anyone can paint a picture, if it's good or if it isn't, that doesn't matter. But if it's from the heart, it will be beautiful anyway."

"You're such a fuckin' cheeseball," Lovino groused, but tilted his head to the side until his cheek rested against the dark curls at Antonio's temple. He closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "We don't have enough time for me to paint this," he finally said, stroking Antonio's arm with his thumb. "There's only a day left. I want to spend it with you."

Antonio chuckled, putting his hand over Lovino's. "Well, if we leave after dinner tomorrow, I could drive at night and we would still get back in time to say goodbye to your brother. I can take a nap while you paint? You should have fun with it. I want you to be able to enjoy it again."

"Antonio..." Lovino gazed at the canvas and at the sea beyond. "It will be rushed," he said quietly. "It won't be any good at all. I don't want to waste my time here. Are you sure it can't wait until we get home?"

He smiled and kissed the side of Lovino's head. "Alright. I don't want to rush you or anything. But will you try it again? When we get back?" Antonio went to pick up the canvas and he put it back in the car, along with the paints. It was going to be difficult getting it back on the train, maybe he could try to return it and get a new one in America.

Biting his lip, Lovino gave a hesitant nod and gazed down at his feet. "If it's shit, I don't want to keep it just because you don't want to hurt my feelings," he insisted when Antonio had returned to his side. "Because that's exactly the kind of shit stunt you would pull, and I won't have it. Now where's my coffee?"

The coffee was grabbed from the cup holders, and he handed him one. "Alright. But then you have to promise not to just give up if the first one isn't very good. You haven't been painting for years, so it might not be good, but you'll get better."

"Paint and canvases are expensive." Lovino sipped the drink and wrinkled his nose when it ran lukewarm over his tongue.

"So is wine, but you drink a hell of a lot of that. It's worth it for a hobby that you like doing!" Antonio leaned against the hood of the car, drinking his own coffee that was already half gone. "And maybe you'll get really good and be able to sell some paintings."

"I... no, I couldn't," he said, rubbing the side of his neck and staring at the white lid of his coffee cup. Abashedly, he began to edge away. "I, um, I'm gonna heat this shit up."

Antonio followed after him, not caring if Lovino wanted to be alone or not. "Well, when you get really good and you like painting again, we should come back here. Or somewhere just as beautiful. Imagine Japan, when the cherry trees are blossoming! That would be wonderful!"

"Shut up," Lovino snorted, fumbling groggily with the microwave. "I travel so much for business that the novelty's almost gone. I'd rather paint the front door."

The Spaniard chuckled at that, fingering the rim of his own cup. "Maybe you shouldn't paint landscapes then. Maybe you should paint nudes! I would gladly be a model."

"Why would I want to paint that where any poor sucker could see?" the Italian asked. "I wouldn't want to burn anyone's retinas. Think of the children."

"You don't seem to complain." Antonio drained the last of his coffee. "And we could artfully cover up the naughty bits, maybe with... with a bowl of tomatoes!" He laughed as he grabbed the bowl of tomatoes from the table, holding it in front of his crotch.

Rolling his eyes, Lovino took his coffee from the microwave and sipped at it, hissing as the first taste scalded his tongue. "Fuck, ugh. I won't be painting a nude of you. Keep it under your clothes. Or wherever no one else will see." He sniffed. "That's my burden alone."

Antonio raised an eyebrow, putting the bowl back. "Would you be jealous if everyone could see me? You think that you should be the only one who can see me naked? Because if that was the reason, I would be alright with you not doing a nude picture of me."

"I wouldn't be jealous!" Lovino spluttered, the scowl on his face offset by the red in his cheeks. "You are one arrogant bastard if you think... I just don't want anyone else to... shut up!"

He was chuckling as he pulled Lovino closer by his hips. "It makes me really happy that you want to keep me to yourself. I wouldn't want anyone else seeing you naked either." Antonio kissed him on the mouth, opening up his lips to dip inside.

"Fuck you," Lovino mumbled, pulling back only marginally to switch up the position of their mouths before letting Antonio's tongue curl around his. He spread his fingers over the warm strip of back that was revealed from the slow upward drift of Antonio's shirt. Antonio chuckled through the kiss, but quieted when Lovino nipped his lip to get him to stop. Eventually, the slender Italian was lifted up onto the counter, and he never once complained about making love in the kitchen.

.oOo.

A month after returning from Italy, Lovino struck a deal with Ludwig that allowed him to sneak him into the kennels after the school had closed (bribed stealthily with Feliciano's baby pictures). He spent a few hours every week with the "smelly, fucking annoying" working dogs, a small canvas laid over his lap and a pencil in his fingers. Some days he grew frustrated and left within half an hour, but others found him very pleased with the work he did. Of course, there were still mistakes that he would try to fix the next day, like the size of the paws, or the ears not just right. But when he was happy with it, he just stayed at home to paint. He went through four small canvases before he finally felt that the tones and shading were right and proudly tucked it away to dry in hiding one particular night before he made his way to bed, certain that Antonio would already be asleep for the lateness of the hour.

Lovino decided that the next day, he would show the painting to his lover. But he grew nervous, and finally decided against it when the next day came and went, thinking that the following day, he definitely would. Not that it was really all that good, of course, and maybe Antonio wouldn't like it? Of course he would say that he did, pretend like it was amazing, because that is just what Antonio always did. But would he really like it?

So he put it off for the next day, and then the next, and by the time the puppy was almost fully grown and ready to be trained with a human companion, the painting had begun collecting dust in the back of the coat closet.

It probably would have stayed there, but Lovino knew that Antonio's birthday was coming up the following week. Of course he had looked for something at the mall, but couldn't really find anything personal enough, and he was definitely not getting what Antonio had asked for, which was Lovino in a sexy maid outfit. He was quickly running out of options and time.

And that special night, when he sat across the kitchen table from Antonio, the remnants of a very rich, very delicious meal scattered around the petite chocolate cake that Antonio took the liberty of cutting, he finally took a deep breath and stood. "I'll, um... I'll be right back."

"Better hurry up before I eat this whole cake! It looks delicious!" It had actually been made by Ludwig, which seemed like the funniest thing. Antonio cut another piece and put it on the plate for Lovino, despite what he said. A few minutes ticked by with no response, which was... odd. Antonio glanced down the hall and called Lovino's name. When he received no reply, a delightful little thought entered his brain. Maybe Lovino had gone with the maid idea after all. Maybe he was waiting in the bedroom for Antonio at that very moment.

With that thought in mind, he left the cake and went to their room. The door was open just a crack, and he peeked in, and could only see Lovino's side. Well, definitely not the maid outfit. It looked like he was holding something, but Antonio couldn't really see what it was.

Lovino jumped when Antonio said his name and stared at the man with wide, conflicted eyes before he straightened himself up and moved purposefully toward his fiance, thrusting the small canvas out. "Here."

Antonio was momentarily confused, until he looked down at the colorful picture in Lovino's hands. He took it and looked at it, smiling at the puppy rolling around in the grass. He recognized one of the spots as belonging to a dog he was working with, who was now much older than in the picture. "I love it!" And he really did. It was a wonderful painting. "Hm... but something is missing..."

The Italian's face burned and he ducked his head, opening his mouth. "Y-yeah, I know it's not, um... anything special, you can just put it back in the closet..."

But for some reason, Antonio was looking around on the desk, and then he came out triumphantly with a black felt-tipped pen. "All great artists sign their work! You didn't put your signature on it."

Looking from the marker to Antonio and back to the marker again, Lovino tentatively took it from Antonio's fingers and scribbled his initials on the back. But even then, he did everything to keep from meeting Antonio's eyes. "So, yeah, happy birthday. You cut the cake, right? We should eat some."

"No," Antonio said, laughing. He turned the painting face up and put it on the desk, pointing to the bottom corner. "Sign it here! Come on, you gotta sign it. If you don't sign it, anyone could, and call it theirs. And everyone should know that you painted this."

"It's not... nobody's going to want to take credit for that, bastard." He shuffled toward the door. "Come on, there's a chocolate cake waiting to be devoured."

Once again, he was not allowed to leave, Antonio's hand tugging on his arm. "What, you don't like it? Lovi, it's wonderful! I'm sure that even Princess would love the picture of her! But it's not finished until you sign it. Everyone knows that."

So quickly, Lovino did the same in the right hand corner of the front that he had on the back. "There!" he groused. "Happy now?"

"Mmm, ecstatic," was murmured in his ear, and Antonio wrapped his hand around Lovino's waist to bring him closer. "But of course, this is only the first of many in the Lovino Vargas collection. And I will have the best collection in the world."

"You're an idiot," Lovino chided simply, allowing a kiss to be pressed to his temple and returning it to Antonio's chin. "Why I let you talk me into anything is a mystery."

Antonio nuzzled into his neck, making sure that the painting was safely on the desk. "It's because I'm sexy. Speaking of sexy, I knew you wouldn't get the maid outfit, so I took the liberty of getting one myself..."

"So then you can be the one to wear it."

And with that, Lovino was out of the room, despite Antonio's pleas. There were just some things even the birthday boy couldn't have.

* * *

><p>So that brings us to the end of this story. Hopefully you all enjoyed it, we worked really hard on this one. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave us a review, and tell us how we did!<p> 


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